Aduro Et Ater
by Lady Nessa
Summary: 5 yrs after Transylvania, Dracula has returned. Van Helsing must team up with 3 teenage girls to destroy him. One has a secret, one is the last of her line, and one is looking for answers. Now, there is only light and dark, and in between.
1. Introductions

(A/N: Hello every one. Lady Nessa is back for now. I'm still fighting huge writers block on my other stories, but hey, I'm trying. I hope you like this one and please don't kill me if you don't. By the way, the title is Latin for 'light and dark'. Hope you enjoy!)

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ADURO ET ATER

CHAPTER ONE

Van Helsing kneeled down in the confessional. "Bless me father for I have…"

"Sinned. Nice to see you alive." the Cardinal said as he rose the screen to look at the monster hunter. Frankly, he didn't looked thrilled to be doing this yet again.

"Warlocks are not much of a problem, Cardinal." Van Helsing replied.

"Come, we have a new assignment for you." the Cardinal said hitting the switch for the wall that was between them to rise up. That was just like him, business as usual. Van Helsing followed the Cardinal down a series of tunnels in the Vatican. After Transylvania, Van Helsing had plunged himself into his work to try and forget about Anna. It wasn't working very well. He just thought he needed something, like this new assignment, to hold her thoughts at bay. That was five years ago and still he found himself thinking of Anna. He wished he could forget about his guilt. He wanted to forget that whole mission. Little did the monster hunter know what awaited him.

Mori sat with her feet on the table as she calmly watched Jennifer pace the room. Bethany sat next to Mori, her own feet propped up on the table with her hat lowered over her eyes.

"Jen, you need to relax." Mori told her, her British accent coming through.

"Is she _still_ pacing?" Bethany asked. She couldn't see Jen because her hat was over her eyes, but she could still hear the foot steps.

"How did you convince me to join the Holy Order? How?" Jen said, her own Transylvanian accent clear, as well as her own worry.

"One, you are a Valerious and therefore must be capable of fighting off evil beings and two, I am very persuasive when I want to be." Mori replied, still as calm as ever.

"Three, you both love me enough to do this." Bethany said jokingly as she raised her hat above her eyes. Mori rolled her eyes as Bethany just smirked at her.

"Why did you want to join in the first place?" Jen asked and then continued pacing...again.

"To make up for my family history." Mori replied, her clear blue eyes following the young Valerious as she paced.

Mori had long midnight black hair that was in a braid at the moment. A small stubborn piece of hair hung on the left side of her face. Her complexion was pale, which made her eyes stand out even more. Mori was in black pants, a black shirt, black boots, and had on a black leather coat that fell to the ground. She also had on a pair of black leather gloves.

"I joined because it's a wonderful way to let out anger." Bethany replied, her green eyes glittering.

Bethany had dark brown hair that fell about two inches past her shoulders. It was fairly wavy, a fact that she hated about it. Bethany was pale from working at night and sleeping in the day…but not near as pale as Mori. She had on a vest-like corset with a black long sleeved shirt under it, black pants, black boots, a black wide brimmed hat and a black leather coat that fell to her ankles. Around her neck was a silver cross on a black chord with red stones on it.

"How can you two be so clam?" Jen asked her.

"I'm partly insane." Mori replied, sarcasm filling her voice.

"She's insane, I'm just used to it." Bethany said.

"You better be. You've been doing this for three years, my dear Bethany." Mori said turning to her.

"Youngest field agent in the Order's history at age thirteen, thank you very much." Beth said leaning back and putting her hands behind her head.

Jen rolled her hazel colored eyes and began to pace again. Jen had long mud brown locks that fell around her in soft rings. Her skin was a lovely cream color. She had on black pants, black boots, a crimson shirt with a dark crimson coat over it that fell to her knees.

"You're proud of that fact?" Mori asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Hey!" Beth said sitting back up.

"How did you stand being cooped up in here for five years?" Mori asked looking around.

"Two words: the armory."

"Will you two please be quiet!" Jen said, clearly worried.

"So sorry, your highness." Beth said sarcastically, then her look softened. "Don't be so worried. Everything will be fine."

"If you are Velkan's daughter, which you are, you should have nothing to worry about. Your family survived for centuries after being hunted by vampires. Trust me, you will be fine." Mori told her.

"There, see? Actual proof. Now relax." Beth said giving Jen a comforting smile.

Beth looked over to see that Mori was extremely annoyed by Jen and her anxiety. Beth herself was starting to get a little annoyed at Jen's constant worrying as well (but not near as much as Mori). She kept telling herself this was how Jen always was…most of the time anyway. Also, Mori could get annoyed easily, but still remain cool in spite of it. Suddenly, the door to the room opened and the Cardinal walked in, followed by a man.

"Van Helsing, this is Jennifer Valerious and Mori…what was your last name?"

"It's not important." Mori replied glaring at Van Helsing.

"Wait, Valerious?" Van Helsing asked.

"Yes. She is Velkan's daughter, but he never married." the Cardinal explained. Van Helsing understood immediately.

"I believe you already know Beth." the Cardinal said.

"Yes…we've met." Beth said, sparing a side look at Mori.

"Well, nice to meet you." Van Helsing said.

"You too." Jen said.

"Likewise." Mori said standing up and walking over to Jen.

"So, is there a reason you kept us in this little room for fifteen minuets?" Beth said getting up and sitting on the edge of the table next to Jen, who was still standing.

"So impatient, Beth." Mori told her in a scolding, yet kidding voice.

"Such a pain, Mori." Beth said smirking at her.

"Now, I have an assignment for you four. Dracula has returned. The devil gave him a second chance. His three brides have returned as well. He is still in Transylvania and we need you to destroy him." the Cardinal said. "You girls have had experience with vampires before, correct?"

"A little to much for my taste." Mori replied leaning back on the table.

"We've handled werewolves too." Jen added.

"There's a first time for everything, but I do know about them from everything Mori has told me." Beth replied.

"Then this should be easy for you four. You leave as soon as possible." the Cardinal said. "And Van Helsing, please do try to keep Jen alive. If she dies before Dracula, her entire family falls into purgatory, including Princess Anna."

Great, one more thing to remind me of Anna. Van Helsing thought to himself. He had been trying to hard to forget, but now he knew he never would.

With that, the Cardinal was gone. Mori sighed.

"This will be a long trip."


	2. Home sweet home

(A/N: Hello everyone! Here is chapter two.)

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CHAPTER TWO

Beth, Mori, Jen, Van Helsing and the newly recruited Carl rode into Vaseria a few days later. Carl was reluctant to join at first, but Van Helsing is a very persuasive person. The girls had gotten to know the friar and monster hunter fairly well over the journey. The same was true for the two men. Van Helsing had no idea how complicated teenagers were till after he met these three. Jen was a bit more social, where as Mori preferred to be left alone. Beth was a little of a combination of the two…and she hated dresses. All three of them did.

Jen sighed and looked around at the small town. Darkness had fallen only about half an hour ago and the first stars were starting to appear.

"Home sweet home." Jen said looking around.

"Home, yes. Sweet, no." Mori said, her clear blue eyes scanning the square.

"I wouldn't know." Beth said.

"Why are we here again?" Carl asked meekly.

"Is he always this nervous?" Jen asked Van Helsing.

"Pretty much."

"I'd love to see him scared. I bet it's hilarious." Mori smirked, the soft breeze blowing her hair around her. She left it hanging down for once.

Beth started to laugh at Mori's comment, but quickly turned it into a hacking cough as she covered her mouth. Mori just smirked at her. Beth smirked right back.

"Mori!" Jen said shocked at her friend.

"It's my nature." Mori replied dryly. "I can't help it."

"Is it also part of your nature to be partly insane at times?"

"Yes." Mori said matter-of-factly. "I don't have the best bloodline ever."

"At least you know what your blood line is." Beth pointed out. Beth's mother died in child birth with her and her father disappeared when she was four. When she was eight, she went to the order and had training for five years and since she was thirteen, she had been fighting monsters.

"Yes, but I don't like mine." Mori said turning to Beth, who shrugged to say 'fair enough'.

"So you've said before, but your mom…." Jen caught the look she was getting from Mori and quickly became silent.

Suddenly, Beth became deathly still. Evil was around her. She could feel it in every bone of her body. She stiffened and Jen saw it.

"Beth, what is it?" Jen asked.

Van Helsing and Mori had stiffened as well. They all could sense the evil around them. Mori looked to the sky. Mori, Jen, Carl and Van Helsing didn't see it, but Beth did.

"Move!" Beth said and shoved Jen off her horse.

Jen hit the ground hard and Mori flew through the air a few feet before hitting the ground with a brutal thud. Jen looked back at Mori, who was slowly sitting up holding the back of her head. Beth hit a building extremely hard and then collapsed on the ground.

"You're welcome." Beth said in a moan as she looked at the two.

They then heard a low growl. Beth jumped up to see it was a werewolf. The wolf jumped for Mori and she took off running in to the wood. Beth followed her and pulled out her pistol, freshly loaded with silver bullets. She just hoped the wolf wouldn't reach any of her friends before she could kill it.

Suddenly, she heard a scream off in the distance. It was Jen.

"Jen, what did you get into now?" she moaned and ran toward the scream, going as fast as her legs could carry her. Beth came to a clearing at the edge of a cliff. Jen was standing at the edge of the cliff facing the wolf. The werewolf growled and pounced.

Mori appeared out of no where and pushed Jen out of the way as the wolf fell over the edge. The wolf took Mori with it.

"Mori! No!" Jen shouted as she saw the distant two figures splash into the river below.

Beth ran to the edge of the cliff to see the splash in the water below. Beth sank to her knees as she heard Jen crying behind her. The teen took off her hat and bowed her head.

"God, help us."

---

"We just can't leave her out there." Beth argued with Van Helsing.

"But we can't go out alone, especially with Dracula out on the loose." Van Helsing argued back.

"Which is precisely why we should go find her." Jen said.

"Um…Van Helsing…" Carl tried to put in, but Van Helsing cut him off.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine."

"She's sixteen! Like us! She can't handle a vampire or werewolf on her own!" Beth told them.

"Last time something like this happened was with Velkan, and he turned out to be a werewolf." Van Helsing pointed out.

"Which is why we should find her! She could be hurt!" Beth said.

"No! And that is final!" Van Helsing shouted.

"You are the most impossible…the most pompous…the most stubborn man I've ever had the displeasure to meet!" Beth shouted at him.

"Now, she's mad." Jen whispered as she shrunk back.

"Well, if you won't help me find her, I'll go myself!" Beth turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

Jen followed her and the two girls ran out to the stables. It began raining heavily as Jen saddled her brown horse with a black mane and tail that she named Ash. Beth herself had an all black horse named Eclipse. The two saddled their horses and rode out full gallop into the stormy night.

Beth lowered her hat over her eyes to keep the rain out of them. Her coat flew out behind her as she rode. Jen closed her coat around her to keep out the rain. No matter what the two tried, they still got soaked through.

"Mori!" Jen shouted.

"Mori! Please answer us!" Beth shouted.

"Mori! Please let us know you're alive!" Jen shouted again.

"Mori! Get your butt out here!" Beth shouted.

The two rode through the tempestuous night for hours. The rain drenched their clothes and chilled them to the bone, but still they kept looking.

"Alright, let's split up. You go to the right and I'll head to the left." Beth suggested.

"Okay. Let's meet back in one hour. You be careful." Jen said.

"I will be. You too, and good luck." Beth said just before the two rode in opposite directions.

Beth walked her horse. Eclipse needed a rest anyway. Beth was freezing cold from the pouring rain.

"When I get back to the manor, I'm going to take a three hour long boiling hot bath." Beth mumbled to herself. "Mori, be glad I like you. If I didn't like you, I'd kill you."

Needless to say, Beth was not in the best mood. She was tired…and cold…and hungry. Anyone else in the same situation would be more than a little grumpy.

Beth turned the corner and saw the bank of a river and Mori lying on the shore.

"Mori!" Beth said jumping off her horse and running to her friend's side.

"Mori, speak to me. Are you hurt?" Beth said, her voice growing more concerned by the second.

"I'm wet." Mori moaned.

"Is it dead? Were you bitten? Can you stand? How long have you been here?"

"Yes, no, maybe, and three hours." Mori replied. "In that order…and I'm really wet."

Beth sighed and smiled slightly. "C'mon, let's get you back. First, we have to find Jen."

"What about what's his face? Isn't he out with you?" Mori asked as Beth wrapped her arm around her friend's waist to help her up. Mori put her weight on her left leg. "OUCH!"

"Here, lean on me. You mean Mr. Big, dark, and pompous? He didn't want us to come. Me, being stubborn, came anyway and Jen followed. Up you go." Beth said as she helped push Mori up on Eclipse. Mori got on safely and Beth lead the horse on it's way.

" Tell me Mori, who is your new friend, and why haven't we meet before?"

Mori and Beth turned to see a man dressed all in black. He had black hair pulled back in a pony tail with bangs hanging off each side of his face.

"What?" Beth asked glaring at him.

"Why Mori, you haven't told her yet?" he said.

"Who are you? What do you have to do with Mori?" Beth asked.

"Now, I wasn't talking to you, child. I was simply asking a question of Mori." the man said sounding calm for some weird reason.

"Dracula." Mori almost hissed at him, hatred filling her eyes.

"Intelligent child. Now would you care to answer my question?" he said smirking and walking toward the two. Beth backed up, leading Eclipse to do the same.

"You vile…"

"Tut, tut, tut." Dracula said cutting off Mori. "That is no way for a young lady to talk."

"What do you want?" Beth asked.

"Nothing, just your name."

"Is he always this insane?" Beth whispered to Mori.

"No, he's pretty sane right now." Mori replied.

"I heard that." Dracula said.

"And I thought you were bad." Beth mumbled barely above a whisper.

"Hey!" Mori said.

"And you have good ears." Beth said rolling her eyes.

"Your name child!" Dracula demanded, bringing both of the girls' attention to him. For a moment, the two forgot he was there.

"Why do you want to know?" Beth retorted.

"Child, my patients grows thin. Give me your name!" the vampire roared. The birds in near by trees fled in fright and Eclipse trotted backwards, pulling the rattled Beth with her. When silence settled around them again, a voice could be heard in the distance. They were coming toward them.

"Mori! Please answer, Mori!"

The two girls looked at each other. It was Jen. This was a problem. If Dracula knew Jen was the last Valerious…well, they knew It wouldn't be good.

"Young Jennifer is coming. At least I'll be able to finish her line." Dracula said, as if reading their mind.

Beth looked at Mori on top of the horse. Mori looked back at her and knew something from the look in Beth's green eyes. They seemed to glow in the dark and wet night. Mori shook her head to say 'no'. Beth nodded. They both knew someone had to warn Jen. It just wouldn't turn out so well for one of them.

Beth smacked Eclipse's behind and the horse galloped off into the night, leaving Beth with the deadliest vampire alive.

"Not very smart, are you?" Dracula asked her.

"Only compared to some." Beth replied.

"Child, you are either very brave or very foolish." Dracula told her as he walked toward the girl.

Beth backed up quickly so he wouldn't get near her. She racked her brain for a plan. Then one came to her…well, it was more of a vague conception. In her situation, it was all she had. It would just have to do. Suddenly, she bolted off running. The girl didn't even look behind her to know that the vampire was following her.

Beth's boots splashed in the puddles on the ground from the pouring down rain. The soggy ground made her trail easy to follow, unfortunately. When Beth could no longer run, she quickly scrambled up a tree. There, she calmed her breath. It was coming quickly and in gasps from running like heck. She saw the vampire appear below her. Beth held her breath and pressed her back against the shaft of the tree. She didn't want to be found. Her heart was racing and the rhythm of it pounded in her ears. Beth closed her eyes and quickly calmed it.

Dracula's ice cold eyes searched the area for her. For being so enraged moments ago, now he seemed eerily calm in his searching. He was being very precise, as if he didn't want to miss anything. Beth saw his eyes catch the tracks left by her boots. The girl swore in her mind. Now it was only a matter of time.

Lightning flashed and Beth could have sworn she saw something like Dracula's skeleton, only it was far more terrifying than the man that had it. Dracula's gaze followed Beth's foot prints to the lower base of the tree. His cold eyes slowly looked up and an evil smile crossed his lips. He had seen Beth. A horse whined not to far off and the sound of hoof prints was heard. They were fast approaching and coming their way quickly. This caught Beth's attention, but Dracula didn't seem to hear them.

The vampire punched the tree trunk and the tree swayed heavily. Beth tried her best to keep her balance, but eventually lost it. The girl hit the ground with a brutal thud, her hat tumbling off.

"Stubborn little thing, aren't you?" Dracula asked as he walked toward her.

Beth scrambled backwards on the ground as quickly as she could, grabbing her hat in the process. Suddenly, Beth was lifted into the air by the back of her shirt collar and set down on a moving object. She then realized it was Mori and she was on Eclipse.

"Mori, if I were a stupid, fluffy person, I'd kiss you right now." Beth told her smiling.

"It's a good thing you aren't that stupid, because I'd literally kill you afterward." Mori told her.

Beth smiled at her friend and placed her hat on her head. _Good old Mori._ she thought.

"What about Jen? Is she okay?" Beth asked.

"She's back at the manor, where we are going."

Suddenly, Eclipse reared in fright. Mori fell off, but Beth quickly grabbed the reins. Beth got Eclipse to calm down and saw that there was a werewolf in front of them. Beth pulled out her silver revolver loaded with silver bullets and shot at the beast. She hit it once in the shoulder and it charged at her. It swiped at her with it's claws and Beth leaned back, taking Eclipse with her. She wasn't fast enough and four cuts were made across the sixteen-year-old's thigh. Beth shot it again and this time she hit the wolf in the heart. It still charged at her. Beth fired again and hit it in the head. The wolf immediately fell down dead.

"Beth, are you alright?" Mori asked rushing over, her long hair all over the place.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch." Beth replied.

"From tooth or claw?" Mori asked worried.

"Claw, and here." Beth said handing her a hair ribbon. "You probably want it by now."

"Thanks." Mori said taking the ribbon and tying her hair in a ponytail.

"Get on, we have a long way to go." Beth told her.

Mori jumped on Eclipse and the two rode off to the manor.

(A/N: Well that's it. I'll try and post chapter three soon. Thanks to everyone for reviewing. If you want to, please review and do remember, no flames. Thank you!)


	3. Research

(A/N: Here is chapter three hope you like it! A friend told me to update so I did! Enjoy!)

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CHAPTER THREE

Bethany and Mori entered the manor side by side, soaking wet. Beth took her hat off and shook out her hair, splattering Mori with water in the process.

"Hey!"

"Sorry." Beth said and placed her hat on her head again.

"Well, I don't see how I can get much wetter anyway." Mori said.

"I could lock you outside for another twenty minuets and see what that does." Beth said playfully.

"I'd kill you when I got back in." Mori said glaring at her.

"Is killing your solution to everything?" Beth asked being sarcastic.

"Yes." Mori said smirking.

Beth gave a small laugh and then sighed, still smiling.

"Good to have you back Mori."

"Good to be back, my dear Bethany."

"I don't know about you, but after that I need a steaming, hot bath. A long one at that."

"I'm going to dry off and change." Mori said.

"Oh, and shout at Van Helsing for me if you see him before I do." Beth said.

"Okay, but first I want to scare Carl." Mori said as Beth turned down the hall to her room.

Beth smiled as she sighed and shook her head. This was so like her.

"Good night, Mori."

"Good evening, Beth."

Beth took a boiling hot bath. It felt so good to feel warm after those hours of being rained on. If she had stayed out there much longer, her bones would've been frozen solid. After her bath, Beth cleaned and bandaged the cut on her thigh. The girl put on a new pair of black pants and a black shirt with long bell-shaped sleeves. She put on her boots and strapped on her sword. She didn't put on her hat or her coat so they could dry. Both were still dripping water. The girl quickly brushed her hair and headed off to the tower library.

Beth opened the door to the library and heard Van Helsing shouting.

"She still shouldn't have gone out here!"

"She did it to save me!" Mori shouted back.

"She could have gotten killed!" Van Helsing retorted.

"But I didn't." Beth said calmly. Jen, Mori, Van Helsing and Carl turned to the girl. "And neither did Jen. Now please relax."

Beth then glanced over at Mori. She had her hair in a French braid and had on black pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, black boots and a long black cloak. Her black leather gloves were on her hands, as usual.

"Van Helsing, she's right. It's all in the past." Carl said. He nervously glanced over at Mori. Beth knew she would scare him in the hall way. By the way the friar was acting, Mori did just that.

"Alright, but don't do it again." Van Helsing said.

"You hear that Mori? Don't fall over a cliff ever again. Got it?" Beth said.

"I got it." Mori said glaring at Van Helsing.

"So what are we looking for?" Jen asked.

"Clues on how to kill Dracula…again. Only now we have to make it so the Devil can't bring him back." Carl said.

"Great." Beth mumbled.

"Let's get started." Van Helsing said.

Each person pulled out a book and began to read. Beth didn't find anything at all. The night slowly slipped away to give way to a cloudy dawn outside the windows of the mansion. No one noticed, except for the fact that they didn't have to relight most of the candles anymore.

Beth yawned and stretched after looking up from her books. Jen had fallen asleep with her head on a desk. Van Helsing was asleep in a chair, his hat lowered over his eyes. Carl was asleep on the couch. The book he had been reading fell on his face after he drifted off and it really was rather funny. Beth watched as Mori got up from one of the chairs and placed a book on the shelf. She got another one and came back. She sat down and propped her feet up on the coffee table right before she began to read the book.

"What number is that?" Beth asked.

"Seven. You?"

"Six. Are you nocturnal or something?" Beth asked her, eyelids half open.

"Something like that." Mori replied.

"I'm going to go to bed before I fall over from exhaustion." Beth said standing up and stretching.

"Night Mori." Beth told her as she made her way through the door way.

"Or rather, good morning." Beth heard Mori mumbled before she walked out the door.

Beth went to her room and flopped down on the bed. She immediately fell asleep. Her dreams were full of nightmares, as they usually were. When a person was in the monster hunting business, there are some images that you never want to see again, but end up doing so in your nightmares.

Beth woke up at sundown. She sat up and looked out the window. The sun was only halfway set. No monsters…yet. The girl brushed her hair and put on her coat, which was now dry after hanging up the entire day. Beth made sure her weapons were in her coat. Both her pistols, her revolver, her grappling gun and her tojo blades were in there along with wooden and silver stakes. Beth put her switch blade knife in her boot and walked out of the room.

Mori was dozing off in the library when she heard Beth walk in. She looked up to see the girl smile at her.

"Morning sunshine, or should I say 'evening'?" Beth said.

"Evening Beth." Mori said noticing that Beth had two cups in her hands.

"Have you been up all day?" Beth asked. Mori just nodded.

"Drink this. It will make you feel better." Beth said handing her a cup.

Mori looked at Beth as the girl took a long drink from her cup.

"What is it?" Mori asked looking suspiciously at the brown liquid in the cup.

"Poison." Beth said, sarcasm dripping in her voice.

Mori shrugged and drank the liquid. She noticed the drink was hot as it slid down her throat. It immediately warmed her body and perked her up even thought it had a bitter taste to it.

"Wow, what is that?"

"It's coffee, black with no sugar or cream." Beth told her as she took another drink from her own glass.

"Since when do you drink this?" Mori asked her, cocking an eyebrow.

"Since I joined the Order. You need it with monks blowing stuff up all night to keep you awake. Explosions are not easy to sleep through." Beth said.

"You mean Carl's experiments?"

"Yes, Carl." Beth laughing slightly. "He's the one who usually caused it."

"Who caused what?"

The two turned to see that Jen was slowly waking up.

"Evening. Coffee?" Beth offered. "There is some more in the kitchen if you want it."

"What?" Jen asked.

"She's a sharp one when she wakes up, isn't she?" Mori asked flatly.

"No, no." a voice softly muttered to the side of them.

The girls all silenced to listen to Carl talking in his sleep.

"I don't want to go to Transylvania. There are bats that will make me dance. I don't want to dance mommy. They'll put me in the too-too."

Mori cocked an eyebrow as all three girls looked at each other. Beth was trying not to smile, and failing horribly. They all burst out laughing at the same time, making Carl and Van Helsing jump awake.

"What? What is so funny?" Carl asked.

"You, you silly little friar." Mori said.

"Do you not want to dance Carl?" Beth asked before she started laughing again. Beth sat down in a chair by the fire place, still laughing. The second she leaned back on the chair, it collapsed. Beth's hand flew up and grabbed onto the fire place. Her pointer finger hit the center of a swirl carving on the mantel. The spot sank in and the back wall of the hearth flew up.

"Whoa." Beth said from the floor.

"Who wants to go down the dark, creepy tunnel first?" Carl asked looking at the dark void before him.

Van Helsing grabbed a torch as Mori helped Beth up. Jen came over and looked at the tunnel.

"It looks like it goes a long way." Jen said.

"Only one way to find out." Van Helsing said and entered the tunnel. Beth and Mori were right behind him. Jen followed the two girls, dragging Carl behind her by his robes.

"How long do you think it's been since anyone has been down here?" Jen asked.

"Maybe about…" Beth started and then began inspecting the degree of dust, cobwebs and spider webs. "Four hundred and fifty years."

At that mention, Van Helsing shuddered. On his first trip here, he discovered he killed Dracula four hundred and fifty years ago. Now, it was four hundred and fifty-five, and that was only the first time.

Beth stepped down and the edge of the stair chipped of. She began to fall, but Van Helsing grabbed her arm before she hit the ground.

"Be careful." he told her as the girl got her feet back under her.

"Thanks." Beth told him.

The stairs came to a heavy iron door. Van Helsing tried the handle, but had no such luck. He tried to shove it open, but only succeeded in injuring his shoulder.

"Any one have any idea how to get this open?" Jen asked.

"Yeah Carl, any idea?" Beth asked turning to him.

"You trust _him_ to figure it out?" Mori asked.

"Mori!" Beth said.

"Sorry."

"You're forgiven." Jen said.

"Well genius, any ideas?" Mori asked him.

"No, none at all." Carl replied.

Van Helsing held the torch up to examine the door. He saw nothing. It was just an ordinary iron door. Beth thought she saw something on the wall to the left of the door. Beth touched the wall and felt something. It was a crevice. She put her ear to the wall.

"What are heck are you doing?" Jen asked her.

Beth knocked on the wall. It was hallow. Beth stepped back and kicked it as hard as she could. A group of stones flew inward to show a library beyond.

"I found the door." Beth said.

Van Helsing entered the library and lit the first torch. He then continued around the room till all the torches were lit. The library was as old as the pathway down and was covered with dust, cobwebs and spiders webs. There were books lining all the walls with two extra book cases standing freely near the sides of the rom. In the center of the room was a desk, two sofas and three leather chairs.

Beth glanced over at Carl. He looked thrilled at seeing all the books. The look on his face was similar to a child's on Christmas morning.

"Well, let's get started." Jen said.

"Yes, princess." Beth said using her nickname for her.

"Hunter." Jen mumbled.

Mori rolled her eyes at the two and sighed. "Children."

"Judged by the company you keep." Beth reminded Mori.

Mori opened her mouth to reply, but found she had nothing to say. She shut her mouth and Beth smirked slightly.

"Clever, very clever indeed." Mori told her.

"Thank you."

"Will you two just get something to read already?" Jen told them.

"Yes princess." Beth said and picked up a book. She sat at the desk and rested her feet on the desk top.

"As you wish, princess." Mori said bowing.

"Oh, stop it." Jen told her.

"Mori, will you quit torturing the poor thing?" Beth said smiling slightly and shaking her head. Beth then plunged her nose into a book.

From then on, the hours slipped by silently with everyone reading. Beth hadn't found anything yet. With a sigh, she got up to put the fourth book she had read that night on the shelf. Beth then started wandering around for something else to read. The tittles were all pretty much the same. They were things like '_Man to Beast_', '_Anatomy of a Vampire_', '_Origins of Vampires_', and '_Vampires and Werewolves: Which is worse?_'.

Beth looked at the chapter titles in all of those books and found they were on things she already knew. They were things about crosses, silver, reflections and sunlight. Beth sat back down at the desk and rested her elbows on the top as she massaged her temples. She was beginning to get a headache. The girl opened one of the drawers of the desk hoping to find a note or something from the previous owner like Anna, Velkan or Boris Valerious.

In the top drawer was a small, black leather bound book. Beth gently took it out and opened it, careful not to harm the old yellow pages. It was a journal. It was dated 1457. Beth scanned down the written page to see who's it was. When she saw the name, she immediately dropped the book on the desk and stood up before she backed away.

"Beth, what is it?" Van Helsing asked.

"It's his journal, before he was murdered." Beth said, pure shock in her voice and on her face.

"Who's?" Jen asked as Mori got up and looked at the book. She opened it and then looked at Van Helsing.

"Dracula's." the girl said.

Van Helsing quickly looked at the signature at the bottom of the first entry. Sure enough it was Dracula's. Van Helsing flipped to the last entry. It was dated 1462.

"What does it say?" Carl asked.

"It says he got a message. It said _One is fine, and two is sad, three however is very bad, past chance three, it will be the end of thee_." Mori said as Beth's shock wore off and she came to look at the journal.

"Then is says _Half and half is a strange thing, but two of them shall clip your wing, a Valerious shall do you in, that means there are three then_." Van Helsing read.

"_Then some rivals from the past, will finally bury you at last. No tooth of wolf or shining sun, (unless they die first) they will succeed and the war is done._" Beth finished.

"Carl, any idea what it means?" Jen asked him.

"Well, the Valerious could be you. It means he won't die from a werewolf or daylight. That's what the 'tooth of wolf' part meant. It also means that we will have a part in it, especially Van Helsing."

"That's what the 'rivals from the past' meant. You killed him already once." Beth said.

"Twice." mumbled Van Helsing barely loud enough for himself to hear.

"What do you mean twice?" Mori asked.

Van Helsing looked at her. How did she hear that? He really didn't want to explain to these children that he was the left hand of God. Might as well deny it.

"I didn't say anything."

"Oh, sorry." Mori said.

"Are you hearing voices in your head again?" Jen asked sarcastically.

"Shut up princess. I'm in no mood for it right now." Mori snapped at her.

"Sorry, I was only kidding Mori. I didn't mean it." Jen apologized.

Mori closed her eyes and sighed. "I know you didn't. I'm just a little tired. I didn't mean to snap."

"Mori, you go get some sleep. We'll stay here for the rest of the night." Beth said.

"Alright. Good night every one." Mori said and then left.

The rest of the night crept by slowly with everyone reading anything and everything to try and solve the riddle. Part of it was clear, but the other part wasn't. Jen eventually went to her room to sleep and so did Carl, leaving Van Helsing and Beth alone.

"Will you be sleeping any time soon?" Van Helsing asked Beth. "You know it's almost sunrise."

"Probably." Beth replied. "If you don't mind me asking…"

Van Helsing looked at Beth, who was now lying on the couch.

"How did you stop Dracula the first time?" Beth asked.

"It's a long story, you sure you want to hear it?" Van Helsing asked. Beth nodded.

"Well, it all started after I got back from an assignment. The Cardinal said I had to go to Transylvania to protect the last Valerious and help them kill Dracula so their family wouldn't slip in to purgatory. The last known Valerious at that time was…" Van Helsing stopped as memories of Anna flooded into his mind.

"Anna?" Beth asked.

"Yes…Anna. Well, I came to Transylvania and we met. We found out her brother Velkan had been turned into a werewolf and so I had to hunt him. Anna stopped me from shooting him and we followed him to Frankenstein's castle. There we learned Dracula was trying to bring his children to life. After we escaped the castle, we found the Frankenstein monster, but he preferred to be called Frankenstein. Frankenstein was the key to life and the werewolf saw us. We decided to take him to Rome to hide him. On that trip, Anna was captured and I killed Velkan, but while he was still a wolf he bit me."

"Carl and I hid Frankenstein and went to a masked ball to save Anna. I saved her but Frankenstein was captured. When Anna, Carl and I got back here, we found Dracula's castle. We figured out the only thing that could kill him was a werewolf and when I transformed at midnight, I killed him. Dracula had a cure for the werewolf and Anna got it in me right before I…" Van Helsing couldn't bring himself to say it.

"I'm sorry." Beth said. "I know what it feels like to lose someone you love."

Van Helsing looked at the girl across from him, who was now sitting up. There was a genuine sadness in her eyes.

"My mom died in child birth and my dad vanished when I was only four. After that I stayed with my mom's parents till I went to the Order when I was eight." Beth said, her eyes glazed over as memories swept over her mind.

"I'm sorry." was all Van Helsing could say.

The monster hunter sighed and then rose to his feet.

"We better get some sleep." he said.

Beth smiled softly and stood. She and Van Helsing walked side by side out of the room, up the stairs, out of the library and down the hall. When Beth got in her room, she flopped down on the bed and fell asleep. Her sleep was dreamless, causing her painful memories to be forgotten. It was a blessing, even though it wouldn't last forever.

( A/N: What do you think? No flames please. This is one of my longest chapters at 12 pages. The next one won't be this long. Until then…bye!)


	4. Breakfast and brides

(A/N: Here is chapter four. Happy Rae? STOP BUGGING ME! If you don't I won't post for a week! HA! For the others, please enjoy.)

****

CHAPTER FOUR

When Bethany woke up, it was sunset once again. She brushed her hair and headed to the kitchen. She really hadn't eaten anything for two days, so today she was going to indulge.

When she got to the kitchen, she found that Mori and Jen were already there. Mori was drinking water while Jen was inhaling some oatmeal.

"Evening." she told them. "Do we have any more coffee left?"

"It's in the pantry." Jen told her.

Beth found the coffee and fixed it just the way she liked it.

"I believe that sounds like a good idea."

The three turned to see Van Helsing as he entered the kitchen with Carl behind him.

"Help yourself." Beth said as she poured herself a cup of the bitter liquid. She then went back to the pantry and came back with a bagel and peanut butter. She sat down between Mori and Jen and saw that Van Helsing and Carl sat opposite the three girls. Beth spread the peanut butter on her bagel and then ate it happily. She felt so much better now that she had food in her stomach.

"Are you going to eat anything Mori?" Carl asked.

"No, I already ate, thank you." Mori replied.

"Someone needs a cup of coffee." Beth mumbled.

"Thank you, I think I will." Mori said and poured herself a cup.

"Let me guess, you didn't sleep much." Jen said.

"Clever little girl, aren't you?" Mori mumbled.

Beth rolled her eyes as she got up and got another bagel. She also smothered it in peanut butter and inhaled it.

"Slow down Beth. It's not like the bagel is going to run away." Jen told her.

"Look who's talking." Beth said.

"Hey, I'm starving here!" Jen argued.

"Well so am I!" Beth replied.

"Eggs anyone?" Carl asked suddenly as he got up and moved to the stove.

"Yes please!" All three girls said at the same time.

"I'd like some too." Van Helsing said.

"Right eggs for five." Carl said and began to cook breakfast.

Beth wolfed down two plates of eggs and another bagel before she was finally full. After not eating for a few days, everyone ate a lot. Even Mori ate at least one plate of eggs, after which she had a small bowl of oatmeal. Van Helsing ate the most out of all of them. He had three plates of eggs, three bagels and a blueberry muffin. Jen had a plate of eggs and two bagels after she finished her oatmeal. Carl ate two plates of eggs and a bowl of oatmeal.

After breakfast, everyone went to the hidden library, all feeling much better after finally eating. Mori said she wanted to get something and she would meet them there in a few minutes. When Mori met them, she had a glass of red liquid in her hand.

"You drink wine?" Carl asked her seeing the glass.

"Doesn't everyone?" Mori replied before she took a sip out of her glass.

"Someone's in a better mood." Beth told her smiling.

"That's what wine will do to you." Van Helsing said humorously.

"Wonderful." Jen mumbled. "Just don't get drunk."

"Wonder what would happen if we got Carl drunk?" Beth thought aloud jokingly.

"It's very funny. Trust me." Van Helsing with a smile on his face that said it had happened before.

"I would bet." Mori said smiling slightly. There seemed to be a plan forming in her mind on how to get the friar intoxicated.

Beth started to laugh quietly to herself as she pictured Carl 'under the influence' in her mind. Van Helsing was right, it was funny.

"Hey, I found a resurrection spell." Jen said suddenly, breaking Beth's image of Carl with a lampshade on his head.

"Is it holy?" Van Helsing said.

"Yeah, at least grandpa Boris says so. He's the one who wrote this book." Jen said.

"How does it work?" Mori asked before she downed another swallow from her glass.

"It says you have to have someone who cares for them on the other side, you know, in the living world and you have to have a piece of something of theirs, like a lock of hair or something like that." Jen said.

"Can someone other than the person who cares for them perform the ritual?" Beth asked.

"Yes. The person performing it also needs a good reason for the person to come back. It also has to involve lots of herbs and magical junk."

"Is that the scientific term, 'magical junk'?" Beth asked teasingly.

"Is this going to help us?" Carl asked. "Is it important?"

"It could be incase one of us gets killed." Mori said and then took another drink.

"True." Van Helsing said. "Let's keep looking still. We still don't know what the half and half thing from yesterday means."

The five researched for a few more hours. It was around ten thirty at night when something made them all look up. It was a wolf's howl.

"Werewolf." Van Helsing said.

Immediately, all five of them were running towards the door. Carl, realizing what he was doing before it was too late, stopped and ran back into the library. Mori, Beth, Jen and Van Helsing ran out into the night in search of the beast.

The four reached the town square to find it deathly silent. There was no sign of life. Everyone in the village must have heard the wolf and went inside where they thought it was safe. Suddenly, they heard laughing. They turned to the well to see three women sitting on it, all in revealing outfits. One had blonde hair, the second black hair and the third red hair.

"Hello again, Van Helsing. And look! Mori and young Jennifer are with him. They have a little friend too." the red head said and laughed.

"Shut up Aleera!" Mori almost hissed at the bride.

"Stubborn, isn't she?" the black haired one said.

"Dear sister Verona, I'd like to know who the new girl is." the blonde said.

"Yes Marishka, let's ask her." Verona said.

"Cut the coffee talk. What do you want?" Beth demanded.

"Oh, how cute! She's acting tough." Marishka cooed.

Beth gave the woman a death glare as she pulled out her revolver. The girl fired and grazed Marishka's arm. The woman screamed in agony and held her arm.

"Still think I'm cute?" Beth said. "And next time, I don't have to miss."

Mori eyed Beth and smiled. "I've taught you well."

"Sisters, kill them." Verona said.

With that, the three women transformed into grayish-white bats. Marishka flew straight at Beth, but the girl ducked out of the way.

"Split up, and don't get killed." Van Helsing told them.

The three members of the group who were standing ran off in different directions. Beth got up, swearing at herself for making a vampire mad. The girl got up and ran like heck. Marishka was following right behind her. She could tell by the laughing that followed her. Beth felt herself being lifted up into the air. The girl looked up to see that Marishka had her by the shoulders.

Beth began rummaging through her coat to try and find something to get her out of this predicament. She pulled out a wooden stake and lodged it in the vampire's ankle. Marishka screamed and dropped Beth immediately. The girl saw the ground flying toward her. Beth flung her arms out to try and grab onto something. She managed to get a hold of the side of a building. Beth looked down to see that she was two stories in the air. The girl pulled herself onto the roof.

Beth looked around and saw that Jen was stuck with Verona in front of her.

"Jen, you are going to get me killed one day." Beth mumbled as she pulled out her pistol. She quickly aimed and fired at the beast.

The girl hit the vampire square in the shoulder. She roared in pain and turned around to see the sixteen year old girl standing on the roof. Verona's eyes flared with hate as she flew at Beth. The girl ducked down out of the vampire's way. When Beth hit the roof, she began to slide down it because of it's slope. She tried to grab onto something, but still fell over the side.

Beth saw the ground racing toward her. The girl closed her eyes and waited for the sickening smack of her body hitting the ground. It never came. Just before Beth hit, Van Helsing had caught her. Beth was a little shocked when she saw this.

"Uh…thanks." Beth told him as he put her down.

"Welcome, and be careful." he told her.

"Look out!" Beth shouted and pointed behind him.

Van Helsing turned around and saw that Marishka was right on top of him. He fired his crossbow and hit the vampire in the wings. Marishka fell back with a screech and came at them again.

"Move!" Van Helsing said shoving Beth to the side.

She hit the ground and looked up to see that Marishka had Van Helsing in her clutches.

"Sisters, back to the master!" the blond screeched. The brides began to fly away, laughing the whole time. Van Helsing was still struggling to get away.

Beth watched this, her mind racing. Mori and Jen ran up next to her.

"This cannot be happening." Jen said in disbelief.

"I think it just did." Mori said in dismay.

Beth looked down to see something on the ground. It was Van Helsing's crossbow. She picked it up and aimed.

"Not while I'm here." Beth said. Mori looked over and saw the glare in her eyes. It was like fire was in them. Mori stepped to the side carefully and Jen took several steps back.

"Okay, now." Mori said.

Beth smiled, aimed and fired.

"My master will be very pleased to have you for a prize." Marishka hissed at Van Helsing before she laughed.

"Anna will be thrilled to see him as well." Aleera teased.

Van Helsing wanted to ask about Anna. Was she alive? Had Dracula bitten her? The monster hunter shook out his head. He couldn't think about that now. He had to escape.

Suddenly, Marishka as screaming in pain. Van Helsing looked up to see an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Another arrow embedded itself in the bride's ankle a second later. Marishka screamed and dropped Van Helsing. The brides quickly flew away in fear of getting hit in the heart.

Van Helsing plummeted to the ground. He grabbed onto a free branch to stop his fall. Van Helsing slowly climbed down the tree slowly to keep from falling again.

"Van Helsing!" Jen shouted as she, Beth and Mori looked for the monster hunter. They saw him fall in the forest and were now trying to find him before a vampire or werewolf did.

"Jen? Is that you?" came a voice.

"Van Helsing?" Beth asked resting the crossbow on her shoulder.

Van Helsing just then stepped out of the bushes. He was a little scratched up, but nothing to serious.

"Are you alright? No bites or anything?" Beth asked.

"I'm fine. What about you three?…Beth, why do you have my crossbow?" Van Helsing asked eyeing the girl.

"I'm alright." Jen said.

"Just peachy." Mori said flatly.

"Only a scratch or two, but other than that, untouched. I have the crossbow because I had to get you free somehow." Beth said handing him the crossbow.

"Bethany, you have been spending too much time around him." Mori told her motioning to the monster hunter.

"C'mon, let's go home. I want to make sure Carl hasn't burned anything down yet." Jen said.

"So, how do you think we did for today?" Beth asked Van Helsing.

"Not bad for a bunch of children." he admitted.

"I still think we should have made the brides suffer a little more." Mori said.

Beth cocked and eyebrow at her friend as they began walking back to Valerious Manor. Mori glanced over at her and caught the odd look.

"What?" Mori asked.

"Two words, Mori: anger management." Beth said.

Jen began to laugh slightly but quickly stopped once she caught the look that Mori was giving her.

"Plus, there is always next time." Beth pointed out.

"Be glad we are friends Bethany, otherwise I'd kill you for that last remark." Mori told her teasingly.

"Mori, why do you always call me Bethany instead of Beth?"

"Bethany, some answers are just 'because I can'." Mori told her.

Beth smiled slightly at this answer. _Good old Mori._ she thought to herself.

"Mori, we'd be lost without you." Beth said smiling and lightly slapping her on the back.

"Don't worry, I know." Mori replied.

"Oh, and what am I? Superfluous?" Jen demanded.

"No, you are just annoying." Mori told her.

Beth smiled, but quickly covered it with her hand. She wiped it away before she spoke.

"No, you are not superfluous. You are the best one out of all three of us with a sword." Beth pointed out.

The girls continued chattering on like little birds and Van Helsing watched with amazement. He had no idea how teenage girls were till now…and these weren't even the normal ones! They were talking so fast that he could barely catch one word of a sentence. He also noticed that all three girls had a gift for sarcasm, Beth more than Jen and Mori more than the other two combined. First they talked about fighting strategy and weapons, then moved onto when they first became fighters.

"Well, I was born into the family but my first fight was with Verona and I was only twelve. I was trying to find my dad while he was hunting. I was trying to tell him that two vampires had been spotted in the village. Verona found me before I found dad and I held her off with my sword till dad got there and scared her away." Jen said.

"My first assignment was when I was thirteen. I had to take care of a gargoyle. It was easy since I followed it at night to it's resting place and then destroyed it in it's stone form once the sun came up. Then I had a warlock and that's when I encountered my first group. There was only supposed to be one, but there were twelve. I about killed the Cardinal after that one." Beth told them.

"I had my first battle when I was ten. It was about a week after my mom and I moved here from Britain. I went into the woods at night to…do something and the three crazy bat ladies found me. Needless to say, I whopped them badly and sent them home crying." Mori told them.

"I highly doubt they were crying because of you Mori." Beth said smirking.

"Shut up, Bethany!"

The four reached the mansion to find it still intact.

"Out of curiosity Mori, what happened to your mom? She was so nice." Jen asked.

Mori's eyes turned cold with hatred, anger and sorrow even before Jen finished her sentence.

"You don't have to say if you don't want to." Beth told her to try and make her feel better.

"No, it's alright. She was murdered." Mori replied.

"By who?" Jen asked in shock.

"Who do you think?" Mori said and then pushed opened the two large oak doors to the mansion open and walked through, leaving the other three behind.

"If I'd known it was a touchy subject, I would've left it alone." Jen said.

"Don't worry Jen. No one blames you." Beth told her as the rest of them walked in the mansion. "I didn't know either."

"No one seems to know a lot about Mori, even us." Jen said.

"I think she wants that way." Beth said.

"What do you know about her?" Jen asked. "I only met her when I was thirteen."

"So did I. I remember I met her in London one night while I was chasing a warlock." Beth said.

"What was she doing?" Van Helsing asked.

"I don't know."

Beth and Jen turned down the hall to go to Beth's room. When the two girls got there, they entered the room and Beth closed the door behind them. Jen lit the gas lamp and then sat on the edge of the bed. Beth herself opened the doors to the balcony and then sat down on a backwards chair and faced Jen.

"What do you know about her?" Jen asked.

"All I know is she was born here in Vaseria. When she was barely one, her mother moved the two to London. Then when she was almost fourteen, they moved back here." Beth said.

"Who's her father?" Jen asked. "Surely he would take her in since her mother…"

"No one knows. Only Mori's mother and Mori herself. Maybe her father knows he had a child but I doubt it." Beth said the thought of something. "Why are you asking me these question instead of Mori?"

"I don't want to make her mad." Jen replied.

"Well, I don't think you should be asking me. Walls have ears you know." Beth said getting up from her chair.

"Where are you going?" Jen asked.

"To see if Mori is feeling better." Beth said and then left the room.

When the girl got to Mori's room, she knocked on the door. There was no answer. Beth knocked again and waited. Nothing.

"Mori?" Beth asked slowly opening the door. Mori's room was as dark as could be, and the doors to the balcony were open. It looked rather creepy with the soft breeze blowing the curtains around. The room was empty. Beth walked out to the balcony to see Mori sitting in the courtyard in the moonlight.

Beth grabbed onto a nearby tree and climbed down. When her booted feet hit the pavement, the girl walked up behind her friend.

"Mori?"

"You just had to talk about me, didn't you?" Mori snapped at her.

"You heard that?" Beth asked. _Of course she heard it you idiot! Otherwise she wouldn't have said anything._ Beth scolded herself.

"Mori, we didn't mean to offend you…"

"I guess the reason no one knows about me is because I don't know about myself." Mori told her.

Beth sighed and looked up at the sky, so clear and full of stars. If only night in Transylvania was as peaceful and safe as it seemed.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mori asked as Beth sat on the stone bench next to her.

"It really is. Each one looks like a little jewel of some kind." Beth said. Both girls had their necks craned upward as they gazed at the sky's picture of diamonds set in black velvet. The two had no idea that someone was watching them.

(A/N: Well, that's it. Hope you liked it and yes Rae I know it's not long enough. Same rules apply and please review. The more you do the sooner I'll post. Thank you.)


	5. Odd place, old friends

(A/N: Hello all. New York was wonderful! Isaw the musical _Wicked._ It's the one about the wicked witch of the west and it was just…I can't describe it b/c it was that good. Well, band camp starts in 2 days and then I will be off for 5 days. After that I have a week and then school starts. I won't be able to update much but I'll try. Here's chapter 5 and I hope you like it.)

CHAPTER FIVE

Marishka landed back in Dracula's lair once her job was complete.

"Well?" Dracula asked his bride.

"They are friends master! Friends! How can this be possible?" Marishka asked.

"It comes from her mother's side I would guess, my dear." Dracula told his bride. "What of the other? Does she know yet?"

"I don't think so master." Marishka said.

"What were they doing?"

"They were looking at the sky." Marishka replied. "Master, why is it important that we kill her?"

"Because my dear, she is only half."

Bethany and Mori went inside after about an hour of star gazing. Clouds came and it began to snow in the time they were outside. The two said good night and went their separate ways. Beth went to her room and fell asleep.

The girl woke up around sunset that night. She immediately went to the kitchen and ate a bagel with peanut butter and had two cups of coffee. No one was up yet except Mori, who met her in the kitchen.

"So what do you want to do?" Beth asked her.

"Want to look around the armory?" Mori shouted from the hall way. She told Beth she needed a good glass of wine right now.

"I'll meet you there." Beth said and walked to the armory. When Beth got to the armory, she found a tall floor length mirror. The girl studied her reflection. She was in black pants, black boots, a black shirt with long bell-shaped sleeves and a black vest like corset. She also had on her coat and hat as usual.

"Bethany,"

Beth jumped a mile high and turned to see Mori and inch behind her.

"What are you doing?" Mori asked.

"Don't do that!" Beth said as she calmed herself.

"Do what?"

"Sneak up on me like that. It's like you're a ghost."

"At least I have a reflection." Mori said and pointed to the mirror. Sure enough, in the mirror there was Mori in her black shirt, black pants, black boots, black gloves and her infamous long black cloak. Right now, her hair was in a braid.

"Well, that means you're not a vampire." Beth said.

Mori shrugged and took a sip of her red colored liquid.

"So, what good stuff do we have in here?" Mori asked and the two began looking around.

"Oh, a grappling gun. Neat!" Beth said as she put it in her coat. Beth also took three silver stakes (not like she needed any more but just to be safe) and two more daggers.

Beth looked around and saw the huge map of Transylvania on the wall.

"Wow, how long do you think it took them to paint this?" Beth asked Mori as she walked up to it.

"Who knows. How old is it?" Mori asked.

Beth ran her hand over the canvas. It had a rough texture to it and it was cool to the touch. The girl examined the brownness of the map and it's wear and tear.

"I'd say between four hundred and five hundred years old." Beth replied.

"What does the Latin say?" Mori asked as she moved the chair to the side.

Beth looked at it and racked her brain for the translation. Being in the Vatican for five years, she knew some Latin, but not a huge amount.

"In the name of God, open this door." Beth translated out loud.

Suddenly, the map began to slowly vanish and left a mirror behind.

"Whoa." Beth said as she and Mori backed up. Mori went wide eyed and then drained her glass. She needed it.

"Did you know that would happen?" Beth asked.

"No…not really." Mori said and tossed the glass behind her. The wineglass shattered the second it hit the stone floor.

"Was that necessary?" Beth asked her.

"Yes, it made me feel better." Mori said.

"So does a good bottle of whiskey." Beth mumbled.

Mori jutted her hip into Beth, who stumbled forward. She would have hit the mirror, except she went through it.

"Oh, crud!" Mori said and ran after Beth through the mirror.

Mori hit Beth's back head on, knocking her over.

"What was that for?" Mori said and helped Beth up. "Why did you stop?"

"Creepy place." Beth said pointing to a castle before her. It was made of black stone and had skeletons all over the place.

"What is this place?" Beth asked Mori.

"Why do you think I would know?" Mori asked her back.

"Uh…you're the Transylvanian monster expert." Beth said.

"Shut up." Mori said glaring at her.

"So, would you like to go first into the disturbing-looking castle or should I?" Beth asked.

"You insulted me, so you get to go first." Mori said smirking.

"If I die, I blame you." Beth told Mori.

"Fair enough." Mori said.

"When I am an angel in heaven, I will come back and haunt you till the day _you_ die."

Mori shrugged to say 'I can live with that'. Beth sighed in aggravation and walked over to the half open door. She slipped inside, followed by Mori. The foyer was humongous and stretched as far as the eye could see. There were torches that lit the hall of black stone, all running down the center of the hall.

"I wish I could get out of here."

"Mori, why do you want to leave?" Beth asked her.

"I didn't say anything." Mori replied.

"Did you just hear someone say…?" Beth asked her, but didn't need to finish because Mori already knew what she was talking about.

"Yes, but I thought it was you." Mori told her.

Beth looked to the left and saw a small window with metal bars over it. She looked at Mori, and then back at the small window. The two ran to the window and looked down into it. There was a woman tied by her wrists and held suspended up in the air by a long chain. When the girls realized who it was, Mori's eyes widened and Beth's jaw hit the floor. She just couldn't believe it.

"Anna!" Beth said.

Anna looked up to see the two teenagers. An expression of relief and worry washed over her face.

"Beth! Mori! You two shouldn't be here. They'll be here soon." Anna told them.

"Who?" Beth asked her confused. Suddenly, Beth was pulled back in an iron grip and was face to face with Marishka. The bride slammed her against the wall and held her there by her neck, slowly draining the air from Beth's lungs.

"Beth!" Anna shouted, worried at the sudden disappearance of the girl.

"So your name is Beth, is it?"

Mori turned to see Dracula and his other two brides step from the shadows.

"Let her go!" Mori demanded.

"Now Mori, you should know better than to talk to me that way." Dracula told her.

"Just let go of her! Now!" Mori said threateningly.

"Now Mori, she doesn't know. If she did, she'd kill you on the spot, or hate you for the rest of your life." Dracula said to her calmly. "You will have to tell her sometime, my dear."

Beth then placed her feet against the wall and with the last of her strength, pushed off as hard as she could. Marishka fell backward and Beth was flung onto the stone floor. Mori rushed over to her as Beth coughed and gasped for air.

"Oh, she can barely breathe." Marishka cooed then laughed.

"But I'm not dead." Beth grunted as she pushed herself up.

Mori bent down to help her but Beth shooed her away to say 'I can do it myself'. Beth stood slowly, her lungs slowly becoming accustomed to breathing once again. Beth looked up to see Marishka sneaking up behind Mori.

"Mori!" Beth shouted and flung her right arm out, a silver stake sliding from inside her sleeve into the palm of her hand. She tossed it to Mori who caught it.

"Behind you!"

Mori jumped about seven feet in the air and flipped so she landed behind Marishka. Beth's jaw dropped slightly at this. She had no idea Mori was even capable of doing something like that. Marishka turned around only to have Mori shove the silver stake in her heart. Marishka screamed in pain and anguish while the three remaining vampires screamed in horror. Marishka clawed at the stake in her heart as her body slowly began to disappear into dust. Dracula and his two remaining brides transformed and flew off wailing their lungs out. Marishka let out a final scream of defeat and then shriveled away into a pile of dust.

"Wow, Mori. I had no idea you could do that!" Beth told her.

"Do what?" Mori asked.

"The flip you did. That was amazing!" Beth said.

"Oh, that. That happens with lots of practice." Mori replied.

Suddenly, the two heard a moan from deeper inside the castle.

"Do you want to check that out or should I?" Mori asked Beth.

"I'll check it out. You free Anna and take her back." Beth replied.

"All right. See you back at the manor, and don't get killed."

"Same for you." Beth said and then ran off in the direction of the moan.

Beth walked slowly, her eyes and ears open. She didn't want to get lost and not be able to find her way back again. Beth soon found herself in a dungeon. Inside a cage was the strangest thing she had ever seen. It was a large man, or at least she thought it was a man. He had green glass on his head and there seemed to be a lightning storm going on inside it. He was trapped in place because he was frozen in a block of ice. The man saw Beth and froze.

"Are you a new minion of Dracula's?" the man asked her.

"Heck no!" Beth replied quickly. "Who are you and why are you frozen in ice?"

"I am Frankenstein's monster, but you may call me Frankenstein. Who are you and why are you here?" he asked.

"I'm Bethany, but everyone calls me Beth. Where is here exactly? And I bet you want out…so any ideas on that?"

"This is Castle Dracula. He doesn't live here anymore. He has found a new place since Van Helsing knows where this castle is." Frankenstein said.

Beth pulled out her revolver and shot the lock off the door. She walked into the cell and tried to find something to break the ice with. The best thing she could find was an old crowbar.

"Oh, now I remember. He told me about you." Beth said as she began to hit the ice with all her might. It began to slowly chip away, to her great relief.

"How do you know Van Helsing?" Frankenstein asked.

"After Dracula was brought back, he, Carl, me, and my two friends, Mori and Jen were sent to destroy him…again." Beth said and she hit the ice harder. She finally had a crack all the way down one side of the frozen prison. She then began striking the other side of the ice block.

"Good to know my old friends have returned." Frankenstein said.

"Tell me about it. I don't know what I'd do without Jen or Mori." Beth said.

"What was that horrible scream I heard?" Frankenstein asked Beth.

"Marishka. Mori ran a silver stake through her heart after flipping backwards over the head of the rat-with-wings." Beth said as she continued to swing at the ice over and over again. She was beginning to get a little tired. The ice finally gave way and Beth stood up. She ran her fingers through her hair to push the bangs out of her eyes.

"Push on the front and back to see if it will come undone." Beth told him.

Frankenstein pushed against the ice and the front half came undone. When the man stood up, Beth was shocked to see how tall he was. He had to be at least seven feet tall, which towered over Beth's five foot seven inches.

"Do you know how to get out of here?" Frankenstein asked her.

"Uh…mostly." Beth replied.

Beth used her memory to try and navigate her way out of the castle. She took the path that looked familiar to her and she only got lost once. That was a huge accomplishment for her. When she and Frankenstein made it to the mirror, Mori and Anna were still standing there.

"Beth, what is the thing behind you?" Mori asked her.

"Mori, Frankenstein. Frankenstein, Mori." the girl quickly introduced. "Why haven't you two gone through?"

"We don't know how to get back." Anna said.

"You think that's something someone should know." Beth said turning to Mori.

"Then again, Dracula is old enough to be senile." Mori pointed out.

"True." Beth said smiling at the evil look on Mori's face.

"Well, any ideas?" Anna asked them.

"Well, mine is blasting it to pieces, but I don't think what will work." Beth said.

"I'm finally rubbing off on you." Mori said happily.

"Is that good or bad?" Beth asked.

Suddenly, a hand came through the mirror.

"You first." Mori said and shoved Beth into the hand. Beth was pulled through the mirror and the first face she saw the face of Van Helsing. It wasn't a very happy face.

"Hi…" she said uncertainly.

"You are in so much trouble!" Van Helsing yelled.

"Isn't Mori too?"

"Thanks for ratting me out." Beth heard Mori's voice behind her.

"You two could have been killed! What were you thinking! What did you get out if it?" Van Helsing yelled.

Suddenly, Frankenstein stepped through the mirror.

"Him." Beth said pointing to him.

"Still that doesn't excuse what you did." Van Helsing said sounding a little calmer.

"Would this?" Mori asked and Anna walked through the mirror.

Van Helsing stared at her wide eyed and dropped Beth as his mouth fell open. Thank goodness he didn't have to move first. Anna rushed passed the two girls and kissed Van Helsing full on the mouth! Van Helsing reacted quickly and pulled Anna closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Beth turned her back to the two and lowered her hat over her eyes. Mori silently crept to another area and pretended to look at a sword to keep from looking at the two love birds. Carl hid his reddened face and covered Jen's wide eyes with his hand. Frankenstein just simply looked away.

When the two pulled away, everyone returned their attention to the two again. Anna had a day-dreamy look on her face.

"Wow." she said smiling.

Van Helsing then turned to Mori and Beth.

"This is the _only_ reason I'm not made at you."

Beth and Mori only had one thing to say as they looked at each other. They two looked back at Van Helsing and spoke their minds at the same time.

"That'll work."

(A/N: Well, hope you liked it. Please stick around for ch. 6! Thanks!)


	6. Mori's secret

(A/N: Yea! Last day of band camp. Okay, for all of you out there who think something is up with Mori, you find out in this chapter. I know one of you has been talking to one of my friends about this story and I thought I couldn't have been more obvious. Anyway, hope you like the twist!)

**CHAPTER SIX**

Two weeks had passed since Anna and Frankenstein had returned. In that time, the group had killed about two werewolves. However, the full moon was fast approaching and if there were any new werewolves, they would turn up soon. For now, everyone was in the hidden library. They were still trying to figure out the prophecy.

Bethany had noticed that Mori was a little on the cranky side. She hadn't had a glass of wine in a while and Beth thought it was beginning to effect her. Beth also noticed that Mori was a little high strung during full moons as well, so this was a natural thing at the moment. She had been for years and Beth had no idea why. When full moons came around, Beth would give Mori her space. However, Van Helsing didn't know this.

"Anyone find anything?" Jen asked.

"Not yet, princess." Mori glared at her from over the top of her book at being disturbed.

"Why do you call her princess?" Van Helsing asked her.

"Because I can." Mori said, irritation in her voice.

Beth looked over to Mori and saw she had an evil spark in her eyes. Beth quickly got up and went behind one of the book shelves. Jen saw this and did the same. Both teens knew Van Helsing was about to make Mori blow her top if he asked her anything.

"Please don't say anything stupid." Beth prayed in a whisper.

"I still don't see why you had to come." Van Helsing said.

"And there it is." Beth moaned quietly and lowered in head. Now he was in for it.

Mori immediately slammed her book shut and walked over to Van Helsing. She didn't look happy, not at all.

"Because you need help, King of Arrogance! Whether you want to admit it or not, you do need it." Mori almost shouted at him, trying to keep her temper.

"I don't need help from a child! All you can do is get in the way. Then I have to save you!" Van Helsing shouted. That was it. Mori snapped.

"I don't need rescuing, Gabriel! I'll save myself!" Mori shouted so loud the whole room shook.

Mori stormed out of the room, her black cloak billowing out behind her from the speed of her steps. Anna and Frankenstein's eyes were wide and Carl was cowering behind his desk.

Beth silently followed Mori out of the library. She knew Mori would do something stupid and Beth needed to make sure she didn't get herself killed in the process. Mori's form was easy to follow, being dressed in all black with her black cloak and black leather gloves. Her hair was in a French braid and she still had her bangs on one side of her face. Beth knew Mori hated those things. Beth was careful not to be seen by Mori or heard by her. Beth, however, could hear Mori. She was ranting on and on to herself. Beth found it quite funny actually.

"How dare he! I'm not a child! I'm sixteen. I can take care of myself. He's the one being childish! I also seem to recall _him_ needing rescuing! Not me! Oh, he is the most pompous, arrogant man I've ever met! The only thing bigger than his ego is…Big Ben! Even then there the difference that is insignificant! He needs to keep his comments to himself and Beth, stop following me!"

Beth was taken back by her last comment. How did Mori know she was behind her? Beth knew her ears were good. But she was about fifty paces behind her. No one's ears were I _that_ good. Beth watched as Mori opened the huge twin oak doors and stormed out of the mansion into the windy night.

Beth stood there a moment in complete shock. Then she had an idea. She began to count slowly to herself. If this didn't work, she didn't know what would.

"One hundred." she mumbled and then raced out the door. At one hundred paces behind Mori, Beth was sure she would go undetected.

Mori walked on into the night, not caring that the full moon shined down upon her. Werewolves could have surrounded her and she could have cared less. The full moon was all she needed to get her temper up, but Van Helsing had crossed her very thin red line in to the death zone. She just needed to cool off. She was afraid if she stayed there, she would have hurt someone. It had happened before, but that was someone she didn't know, let alone care about.

Mori hated herself. Her temper was short and when she crossed the line, she could do things she would live to regret, but at the moment not think twice about it. She hated that part of herself. She also hated the person who passed it on to her. She hated that person more than anyone could ever know.

Mori looked up and in the distance saw two figures flying over the woods. They were large bats. The brides.

"Oh, c'mon!" she moaned. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Beth stopped to rest under a tree as the wind gently blew the leaves around her feet. She had no idea Mori could move so fast. The girl had to lean against a tree to catch her breath. Beth stood there, listening to the wind and the crisp leaves below her. Her own breathing was the only thing she heard over the sounds of the dark forest. That's what bothered her. Usually she could hear birds, but tonight the trees were silent.

"Hello dearie."

Beth whirled around to see Verona and Aleera behind her.

"Crud!" she shouted and walked backward. Beth tripped over a root and fell on her back. Verona licked her lips in hunger and Aleera's eyes changed to that of a starving predator.

Beth dug inside her coat to find something to get her out of here. Most of her weapons were back in her room since she didn't think she would have been going outside. All she had was her revolver and her grappling gun. Beth pulled out her grappling gun and fired it at one of the trees above her. She felt the line go taunt and then flicked the recoil switch on. Beth flew above the bride's heads and landed up in a tree.

The brides looked up to see Beth and smiled evilly, their canines growing longer till they were fangs. Suddenly, Verona vanished and she appeared on the tree branch by Beth. The bride shoved the girl off and Beth grunted in pain as she fell through the branches, each snapping off as she fell on them. Beth collapsed on the ground with a sickening thud, all the wind going from her lungs.

She tried to push herself up and get away before the brides could do anything. Aleera was faster than her. The bride picked the girl up by the throat and pinned her against the trunk of the tree. Beth began kicking and screaming to try and get away, but nothing was working.

"Let go of me you rat with wings!" Beth shouted at her.

"A rat!" Verona cried laughing as she fell down from the tree.

"We might want to keep her for humor sister." Aleera suggested.

"If you two are done being stupid, I'd like to knock you senseless now." a voice from nowhere said.

The brides and Beth looked around to see who said that. Beth didn't need to see the person who said it because she knew the voice well enough.

"Mori?" Beth asked, barely managing to speak because her lungs were quickly deflating. She needed air, and fast.

Faster than a second, Verona disappeared into the shadows and Aleera was flung away from Beth. Beth fell to the ground and gasped for air as she rapidly filled her lungs. She looked up to see Mori.

"Thanks." Beth told you.

"You are most welcome, and I feel a little better." Mori said as she helped pull Beth to her feet.

"I would too." Beth said.

Suddenly, Beth was tossed back against the tree and Mori was held up by her neck, the two brides holding her captive.

"This will be wonderful." Aleera laughed. "I just want you to know that your blood with keep me beautiful."

Aleera and Verona bared their fangs at Mori, who just gave them the look of death.

"Not tonight!" Mori roared, literally.

Beth then watched in horror as Mori opened her mouth and fangs sprouted from her canines. _Fangs_, real vampire _fangs!_ Mori pushed the brides off her and threw them into the ground.

"Go! AND DON'T COME BACK!" Mori roared at them, her pearl white fangs glowing in the moon light.

The shaking and frightened brides gave a scream as they transformed and then flew away.

Mori took some deep breaths to calm herself. Gosh, how long has it been since she has done that? At least six years. Then a thought came to her as her fangs returned to their normal size. Beth had just seen the whole thing.

Mori turned around to see Beth staring at her open mouthed.

"Uh…Bethany, I have something to tell you." Mori said.

"I think so!" Beth said standing up slowly. "You're a vampire!"

"Half vampire, actually. It's not as bad as a full blown vampire." Mori said.

"Your mom was human Mori. Was your dad a vampire!" Beth asked. She was a little freaked out at the moment and it was only getting worse.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Who was your father?" Beth asked, her shock in her voice.

Mori mumbled something that Beth couldn't hear.

"What?" Beth asked.

"Dracula." Mori said softly.

Beth's jaw dropped to the ground.

"Oh my god." Beth said before her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she fainted.

Mori sighed in frustration as she saw this.

"Oh, shit."

(A/N: That's it. Don't kill me because she has to be his for the plot to work out. No flames, and thanks.)


	7. On the way back

****

CHAPTER SEVEN

Bethany woke up some time later that night. She sat up clutching her head. It was throbbing with a dull pain. When Beth turned around, she almost had a heart attack because Mori was staring at her. There she was, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Morning sunshine." Mori mumbled to her as a greeting.

Beth just stared at her blankly, clearly still in shock. It's not like she had forgotten what Mori had told her…how could she? And how come Mori was acting as if nothing was wrong?

"Please tell me that was a dream." Beth said, trying to comfort herself. Mori sighed as she walked over to her fallen friend.

"Sadly no. It was real." Mori replied as she crouched down before Beth and looked her square in the eye.

"Oh my gosh." Beth whispered.

"Welcome to my nightmare." Mori told her. Obviously, Mori wasn't thrilled about her family either. With that kind of family, Beth hated to see what her enemies were like.

"How did this happen? I mean you, how?" Beth asked. _How could I have not known? I should have sensed it._ Beth thought to herself. _ At least the vampire part I should have known. The Dracula thing is still a little much. My gosh, I'm best friends with Dracula's daughter! Is this good or bad?_

"Well Bethany, when someone…"

"I know _that _part Mori." Beth cut her off. When she was ten she made the mistake of asking Carl about where babies come from. Needless to say, she had to go get a dictionary and ask him to repeat himself. It's wasn't very helpful but it got the point across.

"I mean…"

"I know what you mean." Mori said cutting Beth off before she could say another word. "Well, to put it plan and simple, Dracula put my mother under his will and he…you know…against her will."

"No wonder you joined the Order." Beth said trying to lighten the mood.

"Like I said, family history. The revenge is just a perk." Mori said smirking slightly.

"Thank goodness you take after your mother." Beth said.

"I know. " Mori replied. "We better get back."

Beth sighed and nodded 'yes'. She knew that everyone would be worried about them. She could just picture Carl in her mind's eye, freaking out as usual.

"Van Helsing is going to be mad when we get back." Beth said.

Mori smirked slightly as if she was thinking. There was a slight glint in her eyes before she spoke.

"The problem with that is what?" Mori asked, still smirking.

Beth sighed and shook her head, smiling. _Same old Mori._ she thought to herself. Beth tried to push herself up, but Mori had already stood and then gently grabbed Beth's upper arm. Mori carefully pulled Beth to her feet and then quickly let go of her friend's arm.

"Thanks." Beth told her.

"You did the same for me." Mori pointed out.

"Sorry about my little fainting spell." Beth told her as the two began to walk back toward Valerious Manor.

"Actually, you took it a lot better than I thought you would." Mori told her. "I thought you would try to kill me. That or hate me forever."

"I couldn't do that." Beth told her.

"True. I have too much blackmail on you." Mori said smirking.

Beth laughed slightly and smiled as the wind blew her coat and hair out around her slim form.

"True, Mori. Then again, considering what I just learned…"

"You aren't going to tell Van Helsing, are you?" Mori said, suddenly in a state of worry.

"Of course not!" Beth replied, shocked that Mori would even think of such a thing. She couldn't see herself turning over her best friend to Van Helsing, who would most likely kill her. It was like killing Mori herself! Beth wasn't about to let anything happen to her.

"So…does _he_ know?" Beth asked Mori.

"I think so…maybe. Then again, he is senile, so I don't know." Mori replied.

"How do you think he'll react when he finds out you scared the brides?" Beth asked smiling.

Mori's smile grew and a mischievous spark glittered in her ice blue eyes.

"Those are the things I live for."

Dracula was surprised to see his brides come flying into his home. They were approaching quickly and screaming…in _fright._ They landed and returned to their human forms, screaming up a storm and chattering on like small children.

"My darlings, slowly, tell me what happened." Dracula told them wrapping them in his cloak to calm them enough to talk.

"The half one, Mori, flung us away several times with strength we don't even posses." Verona said.

"She roared and frightened us away, master." Aleera said, still cowering.

"But her little friend was there. Beth, she knows Mori's secret." Verona pointed out.

A smile formed on Dracula's lips. A half-vampire and a human, friends? This is simply unheard of. However, his twisted little mind found a way to turn this situation to his advantage.

"My brides, this is an angle we can work with. We will simply turn Beth against Mori. Beth will then tell Gabriel and he will do our dirty work for us." Dracula said, still a little stunned that the brides were scared by a teenager.

"Let us go…intercept Miss Beth, shall we?" Dracula said.

The brides smiled at this thought of getting revenge and flew off after their master into the full, silver moon.

"Dang it Mori, you walk fast." Beth told her as she leaned on a tree to rest again. She and Mori have had to rest several times because when Mori was running away from the mansion, she had covered _a lot_ of ground. Beth suspected that it was partially because she was angry and really couldn't control herself.

"That's what happens when I get mad."

"Good thing you don't get mad a lot then huh?" Beth said smirking at her

"Well, not like that. If that happened a lot, humanity would cease to exist as we know it." Mori replied.

Beth looked up as if she thinking about something. "For some reason, I don't doubt that."

Mori smiled and leaned against a tree. She didn't want to admit it, but the fight with the brides almost drained her. She was tired, but she wasn't going to show it. She knew that Bethany would worry and, in the girl's current exhausted state, that would not be a good thing.

"Sorry Bethany, I didn't know how far I'd actually gone." Mori told her. She really didn't mean to wear out Beth like this. Heck, she didn't even know that Beth was following her. But right now, she was glad she had. Who knows what else Mori could have taken her anger out on?

"Don't think on it, Mori. You can do a lot when you are mad. Anyone can." Beth replied smiling slightly at the memory of the look on Van Helsing's face when Mori shouted at him. It was really quite funny and Beth would cherish the moment forever.

"Have you told anyone else, or am I the only person who knows?" Beth then asked her friend.

"Yes, but everyone I told didn't live to see the next sunrise." Mori said looking down then quickly turned to Beth as a thought came to her. "Please don't make me kill you."

"No!" Beth replied quickly out of shock. She would never betray Mori like that. "You don't have to worry about me. I won't even tell under torture. Then you can come in and hurt the person who's torturing me."

"That's why I like you, Bethany. If all else fails, you have the same philosophy I do." Mori said smiling slightly.

"Break or shoot whatever is in the way." Beth said looking up at her friend. "It always works."

"True, very true indeed."

Dracula watched the girls as they carried out their conversation. He couldn't hear them from where he and his brides were hiding. Frankly, he didn't care what they were talking about. Why should he? Aleera and Verona sat next to their master, both craving the taste of blood. However, that would have to wait. They just wanted to get the girl and turn her against her friend. Only after she has served that purpose could they have the pleasure of sucking the child dry.

Verona and Aleera looked over at their master, anxious to begin. Dracula looked at his two brides, each in turn. He then nodded to them, the signal for their mission to begin.

Mori suddenly went stiff and Beth saw it. Mori looked up at the night sky and listened intently. Beth followed her gaze and felt something at the base of her spine. Something was coming.

"Bethany, get to the manor. It seems that I have some visitors." Mori told her.

"I'm not going anywhere." Beth argued with her.

"Yes you are. They won't stop trying to get to me and for that, they might go after you. In that case, we are both targets." Mori told Beth.

"I see what you mean." Beth replied. "We'll have a better chance if we split up. Heaven forbid, but if they get one of us, then they couldn't get the other."

Mori nodded to show that Beth completely understood her way of thinking.

"Be careful." Beth told her. She didn't like this idea, but it made to much sense to argue otherwise.

"Hey, I'm a half blood. What could go wrong?" Mori said then thought it over a moment after she just listened to what she said. Beth was giving her a look that said 'you're joking right?'

"Famous last words." Mori mumbled.

Beth and Mori went their separate ways. Beth kept her eyes open and her finger on the trigger of her revolver. Her gun was out and ready to use. She just prayed she wouldn't have too. The metal of the gun was cool in her hand, even though she was holding onto it for dear life. If anything happened, that might well be the case.

Beth moved slowly, listening hard for any unfriendly thing that came her way. She was on her own again, but she was in her element. They wind played with her coat and her hair (she had forgotten her hat in the library) as her crystal green eyes scanned the area around her. She didn't care much for her own situation. Her weapons were minimal, which was an unusual occurrence for her. This was the first time anything like this had ever happened to her. Frankly, she intended to never let it happen ever again. Beth hated this feeling of vulnerability. Now, she would never go outside without at least her revolver, grappling gun, three stakes and silver bullets.

Beth noted her surroundings. She was in a small clearing in the forest with thick brush and trees all around her. She needed to get out of there and into the cover of the trees. That way she would be harder to see and have a better chance at escaping incase of the worst. The open was not the best place to be in case she was attacked by anything.

Beth thought she heard something in the trees and looked up. She didn't see anything, but remained still, straining her ears to catch any noise. The feeling in her gut and at the base of her spine told her that she wasn't alone. Beth wanted to bolt, but didn't know where the noise came from. If she ran, she could run into the thing that made it.

Suddenly, Verona and Aleera came out of no where and flew down at Beth. The girl flung herself to the ground to avoid being picked up by the two rats with wings. Beth pushed herself back up and bolted into the woods. She looked back to see if the brides had followed her. It was then she ran into something and was flung backward onto the ground. Beth looked up to see the cold ice blue eyes of Dracula staring down at her. The girl scrambled backward to put distance between the two of them. She looked back to see the brides land behind her, cutting off her chance of escape. Beth pulled out her grappling gun, but it was knocked away by Aleera.

"Not this time, dearie." the red-head told her as Beth crawled away from her.

"No little friend to help you now." Verona hissed at her.

Beth quickly pushed herself up and backed away from the two.

"What are you going to do now?" Aleera hissed.

Beth fought to keep her heartbeat calm. She had never been this scared before in her life. She really didn't want to become dead…or worse. She needed to get away. Her mind was telling her to bolt. At the moment, it seemed like a very good idea.

Beth turned on her heel and sprinted away from the brides…only to slam head first into Dracula. Beth fell to the ground once again, breathing hard. Whether it was from the running or her own fear, she didn't know. Dracula grabbed her coat and pulled her up to her feet roughly. He wrapped his arm around her waist to prevent her from escaping his grasp.

Beth pushed against him to try and get away. It wasn't working. The vampire only pulled her closer against him. Beth froze when he felt her neck with a chalk white hand.

"Don't worry child." he told her gently. "It will all be over very soon."

Dracula blew a powder into Beth's face and she immediately lost consciousness.

Mori returned to the manor around five in the morning. She went to the hidden library to find that everyone was still in there, researching.

"I'm back." Mori announced and looked around.

"Where is Bethany?" she asked.

"Isn't she with you?" Van Helsing asked looking up from his book, his face full of confusion.

"She was but we got separated. I told her to meet me back here." Mori said.

"She's probably just running late." Carl said.

"It's not like Beth to be late." Jen said.

"She might have gotten lost." Frankenstein suggested. "The forest outside is a very vast and confusing place."

"That's probably it. I live here and I sometimes get lost in that thing." Anna pointed out.

"Well, if she isn't back by tomorrow night, I'm going to look for her." Mori said as she began to walk out of the room.

"Oh, and Van Helsing," Mori said from the door way. The monster hunter looked toward the girl.

"I'm still _really_ mad at you."


	8. Beth is trapped

****

CHAPTER EIGHT

Bethany woke up with her head pounding. She looked down at herself to see her coat was gone, revealing her black corset, black shirt with long bell sleeves, black pants and black boots that were usually hidden underneath it. The girl sat up to see she was on a bed. She looked around the room made of black stone to see that there were no windows in the room. Candles were her only light…a lot of candles. Across from the bed she saw a dark wood desk and chair. To her left was a pair of large twin dark wood doors.

Beth got up and walked around the bed slowly till she was at the foot of it. She sat on the edge and lowered her forehead onto her hand.

"What happened?" she asked herself quietly.

"I believe we ran into each other."

Beth quickly looked up at the ceiling to see Dracula standing on it, hanging upside down. To her horror, he quickly jumped down to the floor in front of her. Beth backed up on the bed wanting to put as much distance between her and the vampire as possible.

"Hello." Dracula said smirking at her.

"You are starting to get a little annoying." Beth replied.

Dracula's smirk grew as he moved to one side of the bed and Beth jumped on the floor on the other side of the bed. Her theory was if he couldn't get to her, he couldn't bite her.

"I do believe Mori is rubbing off on you." he said.

"Thank you."

"Why have you not killed her yet? She is evil you know." Dracula said.

"She has a soul."

"A corrupted one."

"Not that I have seen." Beth replied glaring at him coldly. She was careful not to meet his gaze or she would surely be under his power.

"What have you seen? Have you seen her when she thinks no one is watching? Do you even know where she gets her blood?" Dracula said taunting her as he slowly got closer to Beth, who was backing up.

Beth was caught off guard by this question. She had no answer for them. Was Mori truly evil, or was Dracula playing with her?

"I thought so." he said with a smug look on his face after Beth's silence.

"If she was evil, then why would I have not sensed it?" Beth retorted.

"You can do that?" Dracula asked her. He thought maybe he could get something from her past that he could use.

"It's a gift, now answer the question."

"I'm the one doing the questioning here, my dear. You will get no answers from me." Dracula said leaning down so he was less than and inch away from her nose.

"Same goes for me, bat breath." Beth said smirking at him.

"Hold your tongue, child!"

"I'll do what I please." Beth told him. Right now she was pissed off and found this whole ordeal annoying. She didn't care what Dracula did to her. Beth knew she was going to die because of Dracula, but with God as her witness, she swore she would at least bug the crud out of him first. It's what Mori would have wanted her to do.

Dracula was furious, but hid it well. However, Beth could tell he was angry by the crazy look in his eyes, which were now crystal blue. He was in vampire mode. Good, Beth had done her job and she did it well. _Mori,_ Beth thought to herself. _If only you were here. You'd be so proud of me._

The teen was brought out of her thoughts by Dracula slapping her on the face. The stinging sensation was quickly spreading over her features and it hurt like heck. Beth wouldn't let him see that. She wouldn't let Dracula have the satisfaction of seeing her hurt. What did he think she was, a baby?

Beth turned her face back to him and made a face to say 'that all you got? I can take more'. To her surprise, Dracula seemed pleased. He stepped back a few steps then turned back to the girl, who was still trying to ignore the pain in her face.

"I have a proposition for you. You become my daughter, and I promise not to kill your friend, Jennifer." he offered.

"Why would you want me?" Beth was going to finish with _when you have Mori_, but then it occurred to her. He didn't know. Mori would find this hilarious. He gets all the little things, but of all details he misses this one. _If he doesn't know, I'm not going to tell him._ Beth thought to herself.

"You are brave and strong, the perfect specimen. What do you say, my dear?" Dracula replied.

"Hell no." Beth replied immediately.

"And why not? Are you afraid you might enjoy being one of the creatures you have hunted?" Dracula taunted her.

All Beth could do was glare hatefully at him.

Mori was exhausted. They had spent the passed two nights looking for Bethany. No where. She was no where. They found her coat in a clearing but that was it. The tracks just vanished after that. Mori was beginning to fear the worst, as was Van Helsing. It seemed like everyday he got more and more on edge. Mori knew what she had to do, but she knew she wasn't going to like it.

Beth sat with her booted feet propped up on the desk. She was absorbed in a book she found in the desk. It was boring, but it was something to do. After two days and two nights of being cooped up in this little room, she was afraid she was going insane.

Suddenly, the book was jerked from her grasp and Dracula was standing above her. Beth looked up at him.

"Yes?" she asked him, knowing tonight would not end well for some reason.

"Have you thought about my offer?" he inquired as Beth stood up and backed up a few paces away from him.

"Yes, and the answer is no…still." Beth told him. He was beginning to annoy her.

"Then you leave me no choice." Dracula said calmly and dropped the book he had taken from Beth on the desk. "I must make you agree by force."

Beth reached up to feel the cross around her neck. Nowadays, it was the only comfort she had. As long as that was around her neck, she would be safe from Dracula…mostly.

Mori walked through the mirror, loaded down with as many weapons as she could carry. She looked back to see Van Helsing follow her.

"Why are we checking here?" Van Helsing asked.

"Because it's the only place we haven't looked yet." Mori replied.

The two got into the castle through the somewhat opened door and began to walk down the halls. Mori saw Van Helsing go tense. She knew last time he was here, things didn't end so well. She just hoped this time would be different.

"What do you mean by force?" Beth asked Dracula. Things really didn't look good for her at the moment.

"This." he said.

Within a second, Dracula had Beth by the arms and had driven a dagger into the side of her stomach. Beth inhaled sharply in pain as Dracula pulled the dagger out and stepped back a few steps. The teen grasped her side in attempt to stop the bleeding, but it wouldn't work. Thank goodness that a person could live through this kind of wound, but only if they could stop the bleeding. That meant bandages, which Beth didn't have and she knew Dracula wouldn't supply. If she didn't accept his proposal, she would die and if she wanted to live at all, he would have to bite her. That was his plan.

"I'm sorry I had to do that child, but it was necessary." Dracula tried to explain.

Beth grabbed onto one of the bed posts with one of her hands as her head began to spin._ Oh heal._ the girl prayed over and over again. _Please heal._

"You see, now the only way you could live is becoming an immortal being. Plus, no one would come to save you anyway." Dracula taunted her.

Beth glared up at him, hatred filling her usually calm green eyes. Dracula met her gaze and to his surprise, she didn't flinch, shudder, or even look away. She just glared at him. Maybe she thought if she glared at him long enough, she could kill him. Right now that was exactly what the teen wanted to do.

"How would you know?" Beth growled at him defiantly.

"They've abandoned you." Dracula told her coldly. "If they were looking for you they would have found you by now."

"They will come."

At that moment, a gunshot was heard outside the door to the room and it was flung open to reveal an angry looking Mori and Van Helsing, his crossbow up and ready to fire.

Beth just smirked. Her head was spinning and she knew she was losing consciousness, but she had one more thing she had to do. Since Dracula was wrong about her friends, she was going to rub it in.

"Told you."

With that, the girl's eyes rolled up in the back of her head as she fell to the floor.

"Bethany!" Mori said and ran forward to get her, but was stopped by Dracula throwing her into a wall. The vampire smirked and turned to Van Helsing.

"You keep such unusual company Gabriel. First little friars and a gypsy princess and now teenage girls. Such a pity you can't find anyone better who likes you." Dracula told him, his icy eyes glittering at the thought of the insult.

"Shut up and fight!" Mori roared and jumped on the vampire's back. Dracula flung her over him and straight into Van Helsing, knocking the two down. The gun that was in Van Helsing's hand went flying through the air, landing only god knows where.

Dracula strode over to the fallen hunters and picked Mori up by the neck and pinned her against the wall.

"You again." he told her.

"Just can't seem to get rid of me, huh?" Mori hissed at him, anger flaring up in her crystal blue eyes.

"I'll soon fix that." Dracula said.

Van Helsing reacted quickly by shoving a silver crucifix between the two. Dracula roared and flung the cross away from himself before he grabbed Van Helsing's neck with his other hand. Now he had both of them pinned to the wall.

"I will finish off the legendary Van Helsing first. I guess he isn't so legendary after all. Well, it was wonderful knowing you." Dracula hissed at them.

"Leave them be."

Dracula turned around to see Beth, clinging to the side of the bed for support. She was still bleeding heavily and all the color had flushed from her face. She looked as if she was a walking corpse.

"Let them go!" Beth ordered, looking like she was going to collapse again at any given moment.

"What do you intend to do about it?" Dracula asked her. "I seriously doubt you could do anything to me child."

"Want to bet?" Beth asked and then revealed something she had been holding behind her back. It was Van Helsing's gun. Beth aimed and fired the weapon, a bullet hitting Dracula square in the chest. Beth continued to fire the handgun till it clicked empty. Dracula was pushed back away from Van Helsing and Mori by the force of the bullets hitting him.

After the gun was out, Beth could feel her legs fall out from under her again. However, Van Helsing caught her before she hit the floor. The man picked her up gently with Beth cradled against his chest and he ran out of the room, followed by Mori. Van Helsing and Mori didn't even need to try and figure out where the door was, they knew already. Once they were out of this hall, it was a straight shot to the door.

The three made it to the long hall way and out the door safely, thank goodness. But still they kept running. They didn't stop until they were through the mirror and had laid Beth down on her bed.

"I'll go get Carl to come treat her." Van Helsing said and quickly left the room.

Mori stayed by Beth and watched her, the girl's eyes half open. Mori understood that Beth had gathered up all of her strength to save them back at the castle. That was amazing. Mori had never known anyone who knew what she was and still tried to save her. Beth was the first true friend she had ever had. Of course she would never admit it…_never!_

Mori looked over what Dracula had done to Beth. That just gave her one more reason to kill him. Every time Mori got something good in her life, he would destroy it. Sometimes it was directly or indirectly, but he would destroy it nonetheless.

Mori was brought out of her thoughts by Carl running into the room, Van Helsing, Anna, and Frankenstein behind him. In his arms were bandages and a little bottle of whiskey.

"All right, everyone out. I need complete privacy to bandage her up." Carl told them as he set the things he carried in down on a night stand.

"I'm not leaving." Mori told him.

"Neither am I." Van Helsing cut in.

"No, out. Out, out, out." Carl said shooing them out of the room and closing the door behind them.

The door slammed an inch away from Mori's own nose, the sound echoing down the empty hallway. Rage boiled up inside her. It was her fault this was happening and she couldn't even do anything to help. She hated having absolutely no control over what was going to happen.

Van Helsing glanced down at the girl next to him. He noticed that her hands were clenched into tight fists.

"I would assume you are upset." he said.

"How could you tell?" Mori asked, anger dripping through every syllable she uttered.

"You look the part." Van Helsing said and decided to be nicer. He knew how connected Beth was to her and he didn't see why Mori would be any less connected to Beth.

"Anything I can do to help?"

Mori glanced over at him, surprised that he offered any help at all. She thought about it a moment.

"I'm going to go practice my shooting." she said and left abruptly with the gentle swooshing of her black cloak behind her.


	9. Mori fainted?

CHAPTER NINE

Bethany was standing alone in a clearing, the cold breeze causing her breath to be seen as it came out of her mouth. No, she wasn't alone. She could sense someone else was there. Beth turned to see that Mori stood across from her. She wanted to ask her what was going on…but Beth found her mouth didn't work. She tried to move toward Mori, but found she couldn't move either. The two just stood there, staring at each other.

A soft breeze caused Beth's coat to flutter out around her form along with twirling Mori's cloak around the girl, making her look larger and more ominous than she really was. Beth then saw her eyes. Mori's usually stone cold, ice blue orbs were not the same as they usually were. They were showing emotion. A storm swirled inside the blue ice that composed of what looked to be anger and sadness. There was something else in them as well. Regret…or was it weakness? Beth couldn't tell. Was this really Mori? If it was, why was she showing emotion? That wasn't like her at all. What could she be so upset about? Or was it something else? Was what Beth was seeing a glimpse inside the tormented soul of a half-blood, the soul of Mori?

"I'm so sorry Beth." Mori told her. "Please forgive me. I never wanted to do this."

Beth tried to call out to her, to speak to her. She tried to ask what Mori had to do to her. Why would Mori harm her? What was happening?

"It…" Mori choked on her words, unable to continue.

Was it just Beth, or was Mori choking back tears? It couldn't be. Mori was so strong. Nothing could phase her. How could something send her this deep into sadness?

"It has to be this way."

Why! Beth wanted more than anything to ask her. What had to happen! The teen was so confused. What was going on? Suddenly, a message appeared in Beth's head.

Save me!

Instantly, Beth was falling through mid-air. The was nothing around her but blackness. And the light above her grew smaller and smaller till…

Beth bolted upright in her bed, gasping for air. Her head was drenched in cold sweat and she noticed her hands were shaking as she pulled the covers back over herself, but she wasn't paying attention to any of that. First thing when she awoke, she heard this.

"You're awake. You're awake! SHE'S AWAKE!"

"Arg, Jen, not so early." Beth told her friend, who was turning ecstatic at her awakening.

"Sorry." Jen said quietly so as not to disturb her injured comrade.

Beth suddenly heard the rapid pounding of boots on a stone floor and then the door to her room was flung open to reveal Mori behind it. Her ice blue eyes immediately fell on a slightly confused looking Beth. Mori smiled slightly at seeing her friend awake and seemingly human.

"Morning sunshine." Mori told her.

"Morning, Mori." Beth told her.

"You sleep along time." Mori said calmly. The girl pulled over a chair next to Beth's bed before she placed herself in it, her legs hanging over the arm of the chair and her back resting on the opposite arm.

"How long is a long time?" Beth asked as she tenderly felt the bandages around her wound with the tips of her slender fingers. To her surprise, it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. "And what happened after I blacked out?"

"I carried you."

All three girls turned around to see Van Helsing, Carl, and Anna standing in the doorway.

"Where is Frankenstein? Is he alright?" Beth asked, noting the absence of the rather large and slightly green tower.

"He had to go back into hiding, so we found him a place while you were still unconscious." Anna explained gently to the girl. Anna almost seemed to think that if she spoke with her voice at normal volume, she would shatter Beth's eardrums.

"You were out for three days, Bethany. And you really do sleep deeply. Something could have exploded and you wouldn't have woken up." Mori told the teen.

"Three days! Well, I won't need to rest for a while then, will I? Wait…" Beth said, a thought striking her. She looked over to Mori, her own green eyes wide. Mori shook her head 'no', for she knew what Beth was already thinking about.

"You are fine and as alive as you've ever been." Mori told her.

"Someone up there seems to like you." Van Helsing told Beth as he walked over to sit at the foot of her bed.

Beth looked up at the sky before she spoke. "Thank you."

"Thank whoever you want (though what you did wouldn't hurt), but you got lucky…really lucky." Jen told her.

"You have to have some of that stuff in this business." Beth said smirking slightly. "That is, if you want to live, I mean. If you want to die then be my guest, though I know Mori and I would be terribly upset. Right Mori?"

All eyes were turned to Beth's dark haired friend, who was staring off into space deep in thought. After a moment she shook her head and realized that someone had spoken to her.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Beth laughed slightly at this. It was just like Mori to not pay attention to that little conversation Beth had just been having with Jen.

"Jen…died…upset…" Beth said covering the points quickly.

"Oh, yeah, terribly upset. Now my dear Bethany, when do you think you will be able to train with me again? The only other option is to do it with Mr. Pompous over there and I'm not going to do that." Mori said, referring to Van Helsing.

"Hey!" Van Helsing said in an offended tone as Carl started to giggle like a little school girl behind him. Beth rolled her eyes before she spoke, irritation dripping from every syllable.

"Shut up Carl."

After about a week and a half, the wound on Beth's torso had completely healed and she had returned to training with Mori along with doing even more research in the library. The only thing left was a scar, and Beth had quite a few of those from past experiences. Nothing really interesting happened until one day in the library.

Beth sighed as she flung off her long black coat and set it over the top of a chair, revealing the black square-neck leather corset, black long sleeved shirt, black pants, black boots, and the black belt she wore underneath it. She walked over to Mori, who had fallen asleep with a book on her face and her feet propped up on the desk. Beth got within and inch of her ear and smiled slightly. This would be interesting.

"Boo!" Beth shouted, causing Mori to jump about a mile high. Beth's smile only increased when Mori pulled the book off her face and glared at her evilly.

"I hate you." Mori told her.

"That's my job. Find anything before you fell asleep?" Beth asked her walking around to the front of the desk before leaning on it.

"No. Nothing about the half and half." Mori said.

Then something stuck Beth. It was so simple…but could the prophecy really mean that? Beth questioned herself whether or not to ask as she watched Mori get up. The girl was in a black long sleeved shirt, black pants, black boots and a black jacket that fell halfway to her knees that she wore open. She tossed her braided hair over her shoulder as she looked for another book to look in.

"Do you think it could mean…half-blood?" Beth asked and Mori immediately froze in place. Carl, Van Helsing, Anna and Jen all looked up from their books. Apparently the conversation Beth and Mori had been having was not a private one.

"As in half one species, and half another?" Jen asked.

"That's impossible. There aren't two species of human" Anna pointed out. "Then how could their be half and half?"

"Not species of human…but species of night creatures." Van Helsing said. "They could be half human and half vampire, half werewolf and half human, or maybe half vampire and half werewolf."

"Did you say half vampire?" Mori asked him, turning on her heel to face the monster hunter.

"Yes, I did. But why would that be so important?" Van Helsing asked.

"Yes, they most likely don't exist." Carl said.

"I killed one once, that's all." Mori lied as she grabbed onto the book shelf. Could she really play a key part in defeating her own father? She had to admit, however, nothing would make her happier than to have a part in his murder.

"Are there any other unholy creatures it could be?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, like witches or warlocks or something like that?" Jen asked.

"No, those skills are learned or taught. You can't be half a witch. A werewolf or vampire half breed is all it could possibly be." Carl pointed out.

"You know this how?" Anna asked the little friar.

"I read." Carl replied.

"Forget the books Carl." Mori snapped at him. Her head began to spin madly.

"I will not neglect my books, thank you." Carl told Mori. Beth turned to her friend and saw (if at all possible) that she was paler than usual. Her knuckles were turning translucent from holding onto the book shelf.

"Mori? Are you alright?" Beth asked her.

"Yeah." Mori chocked as she let go of the book shelf. "I'll be f…"

Mori's legs gave out from under her and she collapsed. Van Helsing quickly stood and caught her as Beth quickly jumped over the couch that separated the two. What was wrong with Mori? Beth had never seen her this weak, then it hit her.

"Mori, have you had your wine?" Beth asked her.

The girl shook her head 'no'. "I was worrying about you."

Beth sighed with aggravation. Mori needed blood, and Beth was the only other person besides Mori herself who knew it. But where was Beth going to get blood? Where had Mori been getting her blood before this anyway? Well, no one in the village was killed the last time Mori needed to be replenished…so then where was it coming from? Beth had no idea. However, she did know one person who knew…well actually three. She was not going to like this _at all._

Beth ran into her room sometime later that day. Mori had lost consciousness shortly after her little episode in the library. Van Helsing carried Mori off to her room, Jen and Beth following him the whole time. However, Beth never did enter Mori's room. She had stopped in the doorway and just looked at her friend. Something other than the blood was zapping Mori's energy, and Beth knew it. Mori hadn't said anything or had some huge attitude turn around. It was just the little things that Beth had noticed, like how Mori was a little more high strung recently. She tended to get annoyed a lot easier, however, before that was still fairly easy. Was this problem all in Beth's head?

The girl hadn't forgotten her dream that happened about a week and a half before. 'Save me.' Did Mori need saving? What did she have to do to Beth? Why did she have to do it? Was this just a dream or an oracle of some kind? Were those two actually destined to do something to one another? If so, what would they have to do?

But Beth's thoughts were not on the subject of her dream at the moment. She was more concerned with Mori. Did Mori drink human blood? If so, where did it come from? If not, then what kind of blood was she drinking? Can vampires survive without human blood? Beth didn't know the answers to these questions, but knew someone who did.

Before she changed her mind, Beth went to her wardrobe and pulled out a long midnight purple cloak. The girl threw it on and then stormed out of the room, her cloak billowing out behind her. She immediately went to the armory, where she found Carl.

"You're not wearing black." he said with a look of shock on his face.

"I'm going out." Beth told him slipping a silver dagger into her boot and strapping on a belt with a holster that hung off each hip. The teen then slipped in revolvers into the holders, each loaded with silver bullets.

"Are you crazy! It's dark outside." Carl said.

"And…" Beth asked him as she turned toward the young friar. Her face said it all. 'And the problem with that is…what?'

"Dracula could be out there." Carl pointed out as Beth slid a small silver stake into her boot.

"That's why I'm not wearing black. That way he won't recognize me if he or one of the bimbos finds me." Beth replied and pulled the hood of her cloak up. Carl noticed that the cloak completely hid the girl's form and clothes. The hood covered her face in shadow entirely, making her look slightly sinister.

"I'll be back soon." Beth shouted behind her as she left the armory and headed toward the two large oak front doors. "For Mori's sake." the girl added quietly to herself.

Once out in the night, Beth was on full alert. She really didn't have a plan on what to do…just a really vague conception. And even that was a little fuzzy. She was just going to walk around until she found who she was looking for.

The girl didn't have to wait long. All of a sudden, Aleera appeared before her, her eyes violet from her vampire change at the prospect of blood.

"Hello stranger. And what are you doing out here so late at night and all alone?" Aleera asked her.

"I have a proposition for your master." Beth told her, disguising her voice with a very convincing British accent she had learned from Mori.

"And what would that be?" Aleera asked.

"I know what he wants. There could be a possibility that I might have a solution to his problem." the whole time Beth was speaking, her mind was saying over and over _I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this._

"How could a mere mortal know the desires of the undead?" Aleera asked.

"I know the undead well. I am close to one of your kind. In fact, that is what the proposition is about." Beth told the vampiress. "And how do you know I am just a mere mortal? For all you know…I could be a demon of some kind."

"And what kind of demon would you be? By your voice, you sound like you couldn't have lived for a very long time." Aleera told her.

"I was born this way." Beth replied, which was half a truth. She was born as Bethany…but she was surely no creature of the night. Not yet, anyway. Who knows how tonight would end.

"Dear Aleera, how many times must I tell you not to have conversations with your food."

Aleera and Beth turned to see Dracula standing some distance away from Beth on the ground. He looked smug…probably because he had no intention of letting Beth walk out of there alive.

"Master, this person has a proposition for you." Aleera said gliding over to his side.

"And what would that be? What could a mere mortal have for me, and why would they require my assistance?" Dracula said turning to the girl in the violet cloak.

"I need some information about vampires. My master has taken ill, and I must know what could cure them." Beth lied and prayed Dracula wouldn't be able to see right through her fib.

"What are you, stranger?" Dracula asked the girl.

"Nothing but a humble werewolf servant awaiting their first full moon." Beth replied.

"A werewolf, huh? And who would your master be?" Dracula asked her. Clearly, he wasn't accepting Beth story just yet.

"Lawrence McKee, sir." Beth replied. Well…Beth killed him about a day or so before she came here. He was annoying for a minor vampire. Not to mention conceded. Killing him was easy. Beth just wished that Dracula hadn't found out of his death just yet.

"Ah yes…him." Apparently, Dracula didn't like him any more than anyone else. "Well, what has he taken ill with? It is very unlikely that the immortal fall subject to illness."

"He has not had blood in a long time sir. He didn't want to arouse suspicion on our voyage over here, and therefore has not fed for two weeks. He sent me out to fetch him nourishment. However, I'm new at being an immortal and do not know what kind of blood in acceptable." Beth replied, slightly shocked that Dracula seemed to slightly be buying this.

"And if I help you, what is in it for me?" Dracula asked her.

"I know you want children."

Dracula froze after Beth said that. He was shocked that this young werewolf could know his deepest desire. How did they know anyway?

"If you help me," Beth took a deep breath. _I can't believe I'm doing this._ "I may be able to point you in the correct direction."

"You now have my full attention." Dracula told her. "Tell me about my children."

"You are notorious for slipping through your half of the barging. You uphold your half, and I shall uphold mine." Beth replied. _I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this._

"Intelligent werewolf, aren't you?" Dracula said eyeing the purple form in front of him. "Very well. What do you want to know?"

"What kind of blood do vampires need?" Beth asked. _I can't believe this. It's actually working! Thank you God. Now just let me get out of this alive._

"Human blood usually works best." Dracula replied. "However, if none of that is available, then the blood of livestock will work just as well. The best is pig's blood if you get a choice. Now, about my children?"

"Ah yes, my half." Beth was going to kill herself for this in the morning. "You might have one child…"


	10. Renewals and white lights

**CHAPTER TEN**

"You might have one child…" Bethany told Dracula. "Of course, it's only from gossip that I have heard. Rumor has it that one of your children has survived and is here in Vaseria, right now."

"Do you know if it is a boy or girl?" Aleera asked. She seemed to be thrilled at the prospect of being a mother. If Aleera was actually some poor child's mother…Beth pitied the child.

"I do not know." Beth lied as she slowly backed up. Now that she had what she needed, she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Also, the last thing she wanted Dracula to realize was that she was not who she said she was. At the moment, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Who did you hear this from?" Dracula asked her.

"Loud voices echo loudly in empty stone halls." Beth replied.

Suddenly, the breeze became stronger and Beth turned to see that Verona had arrived. She quickly changed from her demon form to her human form before she landed. The second the bride's feet hit the ground, she was running toward her master.

"Master, Bethany is not in the manor. She is outside, here in the forest." Verona told Dracula.

Beth immediately became tense at her situation. Would Dracula figure out that she was not who she said she was? She prayed he wouldn't. Then not only would she die, but Mori as well. Beth was the only person who knew about Mori's…condition. If she couldn't help Mori, no one could.

Dracula turned to Beth before he spoke once again.

"I believe our questioning will have to be cut short. I have some things I need to see too." he told her.

"I understand." Beth replied and in a flash, the three vampires were gone. The leaves blew around Beth from the wind created by their great wings flapping for them to raise into the air. Beth watched them go…in search of her.

When they were gone from sight, Beth lowered her hood and her dark brown locks fell around her face once again.

"I love irony." she told herself and then headed back toward the manor, her violet cloak billowing out behind her.

A little later that night, Beth was rather pleased with herself. In her right hand she carried a wine bottle full of pig's blood that she could give to Mori. Her violet cloak had been long discarded. At the moment, it was lying on Beth's bed up in her room. Once the teen had returned to the manor, she threw the cloak on her bed and then came out to the barn to get the blood that Mori needed to survive.

Now she was walking back toward the manor, blood in hand. Once she got some of this, Mori would be fine. Beth was in high spirits after knowing everything would be alright, that was until she felt the breeze suddenly pick up. She didn't even need to look around to know that evil had arrived. She could sense it in her bones.

The teen took off running for the door to the manor. With a little luck, she might be able to make it. The cool night air blew Beth's hair back as she ran, her heart pounding madly in her chest. The adrenaline coursing through her veins added to her speed, helping her to fly faster toward the manor.

Suddenly, Beth felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and her feet left the leaf covered ground. The teen looked up to see that Aleera was carrying her through the sky.

"Hello Bethany. My master wishes to speak to you." Aleera told her, half laughing. Apparently, Aleera thought something was amusing that Beth didn't get.

"I bet he would." Beth replied before she pulled her dagger out of her boot.

She flicked the blade out and then stabbed the dagger into the bride's ankle. Aleera screamed in pain as she accidentally let go of Beth. The teen felt herself falling and saw the ground rushing toward her. Beth landed squarely on her rear end on the hard frozen earth. She groaned in pain before realizing that the bottle of blood was flying through the air. If the bottle hit the ground and shattered, then Mori might not make it. Beth lunged out for the container in a desperate attempt to prevent it from breaking. Thankfully, she caught the neck of the bottle before it hit the ground.

Beth immediately jumped up and saw she was only about a yard away from the door to the manor. The teen sprinted to the door, Aleera on her heels. Beth flung open the door and stepped inside before closing the door. A sickening thud came from the outside not even half a second later. Apparently, Aleera had run into the door.

Beth smirked slightly, ignoring the throbbing sensation in her shoulder. She assumed it happened when the bride had picked her up into the air. But Beth would tend to that later. Right now, she had to get the 'wine' to Mori. The girl poured the crimson liquid into a wine glass and then hid the bottle in the back of one of the cabinets to assure that no one would find it.

Beth practically ran to Mori's room, the glass of nourishment in her hand. When she got there, she didn't even bother to knock on the door before entering her friend's room. It was dark, as usual. Only a single candle illuminated the room, and it rested on the nightstand beside Mori's bed. The room was decorated in nothing but black and dark, deep, rich reds that Beth knew Mori had grown to love. Of course, the colors only added to the gothic feel of the room. However, Beth wasn't there to survey the scenery.

The girl slowly walked up to the side of Mori's bed and saw that she was still unconscious. Beth couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked when she was asleep. When she was awake, Mori was anything but peaceful, so this was quite a change for Beth to see. Mori's eyes were closed and she was still lying on top of the covers of the bed, seeing as it looked as if she hadn't moved since the last time Beth saw her. She just hoped she wasn't to late to save her.

Beth gently lifted Mori's head and opened her mouth. The teen placed the glass at the other girl's pale lips and slowly poured it's contents into Mori's mouth. For a moment, nothing happened and Beth feared the worst, but then Mori's mouth closed and she swallowed the crimson liquid. Beth sighed with relief. Everything was going to be fine.

After a few more mouthfuls of blood, Mori opened her eyes to see Beth hovering above her.

"Morning, Mori." Beth told her.

"You are in my room." Mori told her.

"Am I?" Beth asked sarcastically and looked around at her surroundings. "Oh, I am. You'll just have to forgive for that later."

"What happened?" Mori asked Beth, who had handed the girl the goblet still half filled with blood. The half-vampire immediately downed the second half of the glass in one large gulp. Mori wiped her mouth with her sleeve as she set the empty cup down on the nightstand.

"Better?" Beth asked her as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, much. Thanks." Mori told her.

"No problem." Beth replied.

"So, what happened to me in the library?" Mori asked Beth again, this time hoping to get an answer.

"You fainted from not getting your medicine." Beth replied motioning toward the empty glass.

"You're bleeding." Mori told Beth suddenly.

"What?"

"You're bleeding."

"How do you know?"

"I can smell it." Mori said, her face the picture of calm.

"I'll go then, right?"

"Yeah."

Beth nodded to Mori and left the room. The teen went to her own room and found that her shoulder was indeed bleeding. She bandaged it up and changed into a black three quarter length sleeved shirt and put her corset back on over it along with her coat. Beth then headed to the hidden library, where, to her delight, she found Mori along with all the others.

"Look who's back." Anna said smiling at Beth as came out from inside the shadows of the bookcases.

"I had something to do." Beth said and pulled a book off the shelf as she chanced a side glance at Mori. Was it Beth's imagination, or was she smiling slightly?

"Was it so important that you had to leave alone in the middle of the night?" Van Helsing asked her.

Beth paused a moment and blinked as few times, her emerald eyes staring blankly at him as if to say 'You didn't know already?'

"Yeah." Beth replied quickly. "Yeah, it was."

Carl shook his head and returned to his book. "I shall never understand teenage girls."

Mori, Beth and Jen all looked at each other for a long moment. Beth and Jen broke out in laughter where Mori only smiled slightly. In the three years that Beth had known Mori, she had only heard her laugh only maybe once. Carl looked up, not seeing what was so funny. This was clear by the look of confusion on his face.

"What?" he asked, which only made Beth and Jen laugh harder than before.

The laughter was suddenly broken by the sound of glass shattering from above them. Silence quickly fell around the room. It wasn't a normal silence. It was heavy. It almost seemed as if the air had become thicker and it was hard to draw a breath. Beth looked at Mori and saw that the girl was as stiff as a board. Something wasn't right.

Without thinking, Beth jumped out of her chair and bolted up the steps.

"Bethany!" Mori hissed and ran after her, Jen quickly following suit. Surprisingly, Jen rushed past Mori on the stairs and also Beth. Apparently, curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Beth and Mori emerged from the hidden library to see Aleera. She had Jen pinned against the wall by her neck.

"Jen!" Beth said and tried to move forward, but Mori placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"You going forward would give her a better excuse to kill Jen. Stay put." Mori hissed in her friend's ear.

Beth fumed with anger, rooted to her spot by Mori's strong grip. She hated Aleera most out of all the brides. She didn't know why, but it she just annoyed Beth to no end. Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her something.

"Hello my dear." Aleera hissed at Jen before glancing toward the other two girls, a smirk of conquest on her face.

"Let go of me!" Jen demanded.

Aleera's smile grew wider. Beth somehow knew that this wouldn't end well. By the look in Aleera's eyes, it was perfectly clear that the bride had a horrible idea.

"Gladly." the bride said and then flung Jen out the window.

"Jen!" Mori shouted trying to go after her, but was knocked back by the bride.

Beth used that opportunity to jump out the window herself. The girl felt herself falling, the wind blowing back her hair and flowing around her exposed face. She could see Jen below her. She was a good six to ten feet lower than Beth herself, which was not good. Beth snapped her arms at her sides and put her ankles together to make herself streamline. She began gaining on Jen, slowly but the gap was still dwindling nonetheless. Beth just hoped she could reach Jen before they hit the ground. Every second that passed, the closer they got to the ground.

Jen reached up and Beth quickly grabbed her hand. With her free right hand, Beth reached into her coat and pulled out the grappling gun she 'barrowed' from Van Helsing. She quickly fired up at the window and the hook went flying through the air. The only thing left that she could do was to close her eyes and pray.

Suddenly, the line went taunt and the two girls were left hanging in mid air. Beth let out the breath she had been holding. They were alive and unharmed. So far, it'd been a good night because of that. Beth looked down at Jen and smiled. The girl, who had a death grip on Beth's left hand, had her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Jen…" Beth said softly, smiling to herself. "Open your eyes."

"No." Jen said shaking her head. "We are to far up from the ground for my comfort."

"Open your eyes, princess." Beth told her, resisting the urge to laugh.

Jen opened her hazel eyes and blinked a few times to focus them. They were locked onto Beth's face. She was afraid to look down.

"Look down." Beth told her, a smile still on her face.

Jen looked down at her feet to see that they were only about two feet from the ground, maybe not even that. A look of realization came over Jen's face before she looked back up at Beth.

"I knew that." Jen said, causing Beth to laugh slightly.

"Just jump down. My arm is getting tired." Beth told her, her smile of amusement still plastered on her lips.

Jen obediently let go of Beth's hand and landed softly on the ground. Soon afterward, Beth also gently floated to the ground next to Jen.

"Next time we hear a crash, the one with the weapons goes first." Beth told Jen as the two walked in front of the large oak doors that led into the mansion.

"Alright. I'll remember that." Jen said nodding.

Beth smirked slightly as she opened the doors. Jen was clueless sometimes but you just had to like her. She was like a puppy. Jen was always running into trouble and she and Mori always had to get here out of it. Of course, they couldn't blame Jen for that. She couldn't help it that she was the last Valerious. Mori couldn't help it that Dracula was her father. Beth also couldn't help it that her father disappeared so long ago either. That's just how life worked.

Jen opened the door and walked into the front hall. Beth was about to follow her when she was suddenly pulled back and the door slammed shut.

"I do believe I caught a mouse."

Beth groaned inwardly at the sound of Verona's voice. It was a trap. They were expecting to catch Mori. Throwing Jen out the window, one of them going after the other, it was all a trap. They were going to get rid of the youngest Valerious and capture Mori in the process.

"Well done my love."

Beth also had to repress a shiver at Dracula's cold, hard voice. Why did he have to show up every time!

"Let go of me bat brain!" Beth said kicking and thrashing, trying to free herself from the vampire.

"Bat brain!" Verona cried, apparently insulted.

"Are you insulted? Good. That _was_ the intention." Beth told her. The girl then realized what she said and moaned slightly and whispered to herself. "Dear lord, I'm turning into Mori."

"Shut up child. You can't escape anyway." Verona told her.

_Just watch me._ Beth thought to herself. The teen then quickly slipped out of her coat and bolted toward the door so fast that it left Verona standing still holding an empty coat with her mouth agape.

Unfortunately, Beth didn't even get halfway to the door when Dracula grabbed her wrist and yanked the girl toward him. He pulled Beth back with such force that she lost her footing and fell right into the vampire. Dracula quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and then twisted Beth's right arm around her back so much that she cried out in pain. Beth bit down hard on her lower lip to keep the tears that rimmed her eyes from falling. There was no way that she was going to show anymore weakness than she already had.

"You are the third most stubborn person I have ever met." Dracula whispered in her ear as Beth still struggled against him. "The only two beating you are Mori and Gabriel."

Dracula twisted Beth's arm some more and the girl suppressed a groan. White hot pain flowed through her arm and shoulder, causing her vision to blur slightly. The pain was so intense that she didn't notice that she had blood slowly oozing from the left side of her lower lip from biting to hard on it.

"Master! I have her!"

Beth looked up to see Aleera landing on the ground next to Verona. Flung over her shoulder was an unconscious Mori.

"Mori! Ahhh!" Beth tried to move toward her friend, only to have Dracula jerk her arm sharply, causing a throbbing sensation to move through her body.

As if on cue, Mori's eyes darted open when she heard Beth scream.

"Put me down you second class barmaid!" Mori roared.

A shocked Aleera immediately let go of Mori, causing the half-vampire to fall face first on the ground. The wind was knocked from her chest the second she hit the earth, causing Mori to gasp in pain. _I hate that crazy redhead. If I ruled the world, she would be the second to die. Dear old dad is first!_ Mori thought to herself. Why was her family so messed up?

Mori was jerked up by Verona and held about three inches off the ground so she couldn't run away.

"Well, my day is just going great!" Mori hissed, sarcasm filling every syllable she uttered.

"Verona, my dear. Will you bite the half blood for me?" Dracula's order caused both Mori's icy eyes along with Beth's emerald ones to grow wide. If Verona bit Mori, she would loose all her humanity, or worse, get under Dracula influence.

Beth began to struggle like mad, as if she was the one who was going to be bitten and not Mori. Dracula twisted her arm once again. Beth screamed and immediately became still. She just wished the pain would end. It hurt so much that she suspected that if he twisted her arm anymore that it would break, if it wasn't already.

"Stop it!" Mori ordered him, her eyes now icier than ever before.

"Alright then," Dracula replied as he saw the hateful glare that Mori was giving him. "Verona, bite her now."

"Gladly." Verona replied.

The vampiress craned her neck back as her canines grew longer and longer. Mori just froze. For maybe only the third or fourth time in her life, she was too scared to move.

"Mori! Ahhh!" Beth tried moving again only to have her arm painfully twisted tighter around her back again. Dracula's grip on her wrist was now tighter than ever, and Beth also feared that it too was going to break.

Beth closed her eyes, a tear falling down her creamy cheek. Beth opened her eyes again, a tear falling out of her other eye. Maybe Mori was imagining it, but her emerald eyes seemed a lighter shade of green than usual. All of a sudden, a rock hit Verona in the back of the head.

"Who did that!" Verona demanded turning to see if anyone was there. The only answer she received was the soft blowing of the night wind.

"Who did it?" Dracula asked Beth, twisting her arm slightly tighter and strengthening the pressure on her wrist.

His only answer was Beth ragged breathing. A third and fourth tear rolled down her face as more blood spilled from her lower lip. Beth closed her eyes. Maybe if she couldn't see the situation all the pain (mental and physical) would go away.

She was becoming delusional. The pain had finally worked it's way to her brain, causing long forgotten painful memories to resurface. Was it that, or was her life flashing before her closed eyes? Was this how it was meant to end?

Mori was losing Bethany, she could tell. Bethany was slowly slipping into a state a madness to drown out the pain that had originated in her arm and worked it's way up to her mind. Mori could sense it. It was one of her many gifts. She respected Bethany's privacy, but now it was more important than ever to make sure Bethany survived this. Privacy really wasn't an issue at the moment.

"Bethany?" Mori asked her softly. Beth breathed something in reply that even Mori couldn't hear. Her breathing was to irregular for the half-vampire to hear it.

"What?" Mori asked. Then, Mori couldn't believe what she heard.

"Daddy…"

Suddenly, there was a blinding white light from nowhere and then screams. Beth didn't remember much, only the pain and energy surging through every fiber of her being. Mori fell to the ground and when the light vanished, she was alone…almost. Bethany was standing a few feet away from her. She seemed unsteady on her feet and soon collapsed to the ground. Beth couldn't remember anything after that. She had fainted.

A/N: Alright, now I must say something. SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET UP! I've been really busy with my school's play (which is now over), Thanksgiving and my school's musical (which I'm in and it started one week after the play closed). I've been a bit stretched, if you know what I mean. I promise I'll try to update more. Sorry again! ;-)


	11. Nightmares

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

"Bethany. Bethany!" Mori was shaking Beth in an attempt to get her to wake up. So far it wasn't working very well. Beth had collapsed after there was that huge flash of light.

"Dang it Bethany! WAKE UP!" Mori shouted slapping her across the face.

"Ouch!" Beth yelped in pain. Mori let out the breath she had been holding. Mori would never admit it out loud, but Beth was the only real friend she had ever had, with the exception of Jen. But she and Beth had lived through the worst. She just couldn't see her life any other way.

"What happened to you?" Mori asked the teen.

"I…uh…I'm not really sure." Beth replied holding her aching head. It was throbbing like mad. What had happened? First there was the crash in the library, then she and Jen falling out the window, being held captive by Dracula…then what? Beth couldn't remember much, only the painful memories she was forced to re-live in her mind.

_Bethany was four again. She was running. What was she running from? Her house, she was running from her house. She had just been told that her father was missing. He had been sent out on a secret mission for the military and was never found. It had been a month and they had had no contact with him whatsoever. He was legally pronounced dead yesterday._

_Beth wouldn't believe it. Her father wasn't dead. He was alive! And she was going to find him if it was the last thing she ever did. The four year old Beth turned around to look back at her home only to see it being engulfed by red hot flames…_

"Bethany, are you alright?"

"Yeah…just tired I guess. We can't all be like you when we jump out of windows, some of us get tired." Beth told Mori with a soft smile.

"Let's get you on your feet. If dear old daddy and his brides…" Mori trailed off as her eyes glazed over. Her mind seemed to be on other things at the moment.

"Mori…Mori!" Beth shouted and snapped her fingers in front of Mori's blank face. She then jerked suddenly, as if she had suddenly been pulled out of a trance.

"I'm sorry, what?" Mori asked turning to Beth.

"You were going to say something." Beth said cocking an eyebrow at her friend. This was so unlike Mori to just suddenly space out. Again, did this have anything to do with the dream she had a while back…_Save me._

Mori put an arm around Beth and helped her to her feet. Beth really needed Mori for support to walk. She had no idea why she was so weak. Not only was it inconvenient, but also it was just plain annoying. What had made her this way, Beth wondered.

When they got into the manor, Beth saw Mori do something she never thought she would ever see the girl do. Mori went and got Van Helsing for _help_. Mori had placed Beth in a chair and ran off to the hidden library. The girl returned minutes later with Van Helsing right behind her.

"Beth, Mori told me what happened." he said as he gently picked Beth up and cradled her against his chest.

"She actually did it on her own free will?" Beth asked, shocked that Mori would do such a thing. Beth turned her head toward Mori.

"Shocked, simply shocked." she told her. Mori smiled at her.

"Well, it wasn't like _I_ was going to carry you all the way to your room." Mori told her. Beth smiled slightly at her friend. She knew Mori would once again never admit it out loud, but she knew Mori was worried about her. If she ever did say that, it would imply that she had emotion and Mori had an image of being hollow that she had to uphold.

Van Helsing carried Beth to her room and set her on the bed. It was only then that Mori and Van Helsing noticed that Beth was sleep. The two silently crept from the girl's room and shut the door.

"So, who do you think threw the rock at Verona?" Van Helsing asked Mori as the two were walking back to the hidden library to tell Anna, Carl and Jen that Beth was alright.

"I don't know." Mori replied honestly. Suddenly, she lost her footing and fell. Van Helsing's fast reflexes were good enough to catch her before she hit the floor.

"Are you alright?" Van Helsing asked as he set Mori back up on her feet. "I've never seen you just trip before."

"I'm fine. I've just been doing it a lot lately, that's all." Mori told him.

By the end of the week, Beth was back to her full strength. She spent most of her time with Mori, training. On occasion, Van Helsing would come in Mori's place. Beth had to admit that Mr. Big, dark and pompous was growing on her. She was actually beginning to like him. The girl discovered this during their training sessions. He would often help Beth with her technique, making her an overall better fighter. Then on one day, just for fun, he helped her with her aim. Beth was gifted with firearms and her aim was good. After a few hours with Van Helsing helping her, her aim was now deadly to anything that didn't possess a soul.

When she wasn't training, Beth was doing research in the library with Jen, Mori, Anna, Carl, and (again) Van Helsing. What they had to find now was a mystery to them all. When Aleera broke into the library, she stole a single book. It was called _The Immortalis Chronicles_. Now, they had to answer why Aleera was told to steal the book. Why was it important? What was in it? And most importantly, why would Dracula want a sorcery book? Was there a spell in it that he needed? Could he even do magic? Or did he have someone to do it for him?

The only thing that Mori and Beth really wanted to know was why Jen, of all people, knew the name of the book and what kind it was. Jen was a Valerious. If she had anything to do with sorcery, Anna would kill her. Was she going behind everyone's back just to be a sorceress? Beth seriously doubted it, but (as much as she refused to accept it) it was still a possibility.

One night in the library, Beth looked up from her book to see that Mori was growing tired. She could tell because the girl was covering up a yawn. Jen had fallen asleep with her head on the desk, leaving Carl half-asleep on the couch. Beth stood up and yawned as she stretched out her tired muscles. Suddenly from up above her, she heard the unmistakable thunder of a gun shot. Beth froze in place, fearing the worst. If she heard another shot, then she knew her fear was probably true. As if on cue, a second shot rang through the night.

"Van Helsing!" Beth shouted bolting out of the library, breaking everyone around her out of their trance.

"Anna! Answer me!" the girl yelled at the top of her lungs as she pulled out her revolver. She climbed the steps three at a time. Beth couldn't explain it but something wasn't right. She could just tell.

"Bethany!" she heard Mori's voice from below her, but it was too far away to matter to Beth at the moment.

A third shot was heard as Beth flew out of the library door, through the main library and down the main hall, her black trench coat billowing out behind her from her speed.

"Anna! Van Helsing!" Beth shouted once again, hoping to get a reply. When the only sound that reached her ears was the pounding of her own boots on the stone floor of the hall, the teen quickened her pace. The girl flung open the main doors to the manor to see a state of chaos around her. Van Helsing was busy with fighting Dracula and Anna was holding off Aleera and Verona on her own.

Beth raised her revolver and fired. The shot rang out as did a scream of pain. It came from Verona, who's shoulder was quickly healing over. Beth fired at the bride again, each time moving her slightly away from Anna. Each time she hit the bride, and each time Verona screamed in pain and fury. Suddenly, Beth's trusty firearm clicked empty and Verona was finishing extracting the bullets from her flesh. The bride glared at Beth, her eyes filled with rage and insanity.

"Now that I have your attention…" she told the bride, who immediately lunged forward after Beth. The sixteen year old dove to the ground to avoid being grabbed by the bride. Beth was then abruptly pulled up by the collar of her coat and an arm slipped around her waist. She then felt an icy cold hand press itself over her mouth and then that hand tilting her head to the side. That was before she heard the bitter, icy voice whisper in her hear.

"Hello my child. Don't worry at all. It will only hurt for a moment."

Beth bolted upright in her bed, her scream ringing throughout the room. Her face was covered in cold sweat and she was shaking from head to toe. The girl's chest was heaving up and down as if she had just run a mile or two. The still slightly terrified Beth placed a hand over her heart. It was pounding madly in her chest. It was almost as if her heart wanted to pop right through her ribs and into the room before her. _It was only a nightmare._

"Beth?"

Beth gasped slightly as she whirled around to see that Van Helsing was standing next to her bed. Her heartbeat lessened in her chest at seeing him, and only him. Van Helsing placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright? You were having some nightmare. I could hear you next door." the monster hunter asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Beth replied, placing a hand on the side of her neck subconsciously.

"If you are alright, then why are you shaking?" Van Helsing inquired.

Beth didn't even know she was shaking. Oh, how could something as stupid as a dream scare her this much? She had faced the fiercest warlocks, witches, werewolves and vampires there were without blinking, but she was shaking in fear over something that wasn't even real.

"It's just cold in here." Beth lied and then looked up at him. "What are you doing up this late?"

"I have nightmares almost every single night. I've pretty much given up on sleep." he told her gently as he sat down on the side of her bed.

"Why? The nightmares, I mean…" Beth started. "Why do you have them almost every night?"

Van Helsing sighed and then gave a girl a rare, soft, but pure smile. "I can only remember the last twelve years of my life. I guess the nightmares are subconscious memories trying to resurface."

"I'm sorry." Beth told him, sincerity filling her green eyes as she looked out her window at the night sky.

"Don't be."

"It must be terrible, to not remember your past, to not know if you have any family or not." Beth said as her voice dimmed down into a whisper.

"It is only terrible when other people know more about yourself than you do." Van Helsing told her, a soft, yet encouraging smile on his lips. The man put an arm around the girl, who was still shaking slightly. _Whatever her dream was about_ Van Helsing thought to himself _it must have been pretty bad for her to be scared about it._

"It's only a dream. It will be alright. Don't worry." Van Helsing softly told Beth, who was leaning against his chest.

"I know it can't hurt me." Beth told him. "But there…I just have this feeling that something will happen."

"The job of a hunter is never finished. Therefore, I believe we all have a good reason to be paranoid about certain things." Van Helsing told her.

The two sat there in silence for a while. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was just time that they spent enjoying the fact that there was someone to talk too. Even though no one spoke, they both knew the other would be there when one of them _did_ talk.

"Do you remember the first time we met in the Order?" Beth asked Van Helsing out of the blue. Van Helsing looked down at her, the memory slowly forming in his mind's eye.

"I remember. You were only twelve at the time."

"Back when I was innocent." Beth cut in, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"I remember that I believed that it took a gifted child to test run Carl's weapons. If you recall, when I first met you, you were his assistant of sorts." Van Helsing said as he looked down at her.

"Yes, I remember…"

Van Helsing waited for her to continue but found that the girl had fallen back asleep. He hadn't even noticed it. The monster hunter gently laid her head back on the pillow and pulled the covers up around her. Van Helsing then stepped back and looked at her sleeping form. She just looked so serene with the moon light coming in through her window and making her skin glow just ever so slightly. She just looked so…familiar. Van Helsing could have sworn since the day he met her that he had seen her before. It was the eyes. She had someone's eyes. But who's?

Van Helsing shook those thoughts from his mind and then turned toward the door. He walked to it and turned around to look at Beth one last time before he closed the door just ever so softly. The last thing he wanted to do was wake the sleeping angel.


	12. Mori is acting wierd

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

A day or two had gone by since Bethany had had her nightmare. It was still bothering her, however. She tried not to think about it, but when it did cross her mind, there was no getting off the subject. Was that really going to happen? Did it have any relation to the dream she had a while back about Mori? If there was a connection, what was it?

Beth really didn't have time to worry about things like that because she was too busy making sure that Mori didn't kill herself or anyone else by her frequent tripping accidents. The girl had also caught Mori staring off into the distance quite often. To bring her back to the present time, Beth would snap her fingers in front of her nose. That usually brought Mori out of her trance-like state. On the rare occasions that it didn't, Beth would poke her in the shoulder. Mori would then slap Beth on the arm for poking her. The teenager had several bruises on her arm for that sole reason.

Beth thought that something was wrong. Mori was usually never tripping, never spacing off. Mori was mostly keeping to herself more as well. She rarely ever spoke to Beth and almost never to everyone else. The half vampire just didn't seem like she was herself. It was like all the energy was sucked from her body. Beth had never seen Mori this unfocused before, and it almost scared her more than the dreams she had been having.

Beth looked around the hidden library once more. She had been spending most of her time here. They were still trying to figure out why Aleera wanted _The Immortalis Chronicles._ No one so far had found any clue to what the book contained. Van Helsing was hunched over the desk where Carl sat. The two were going over a list of books they had found that mentioned the chronicles and who should check which book. Anna and Jen were sitting back to back on the couch, each with their feet propped up on the arms of the couch. Mori was seated in one of the large leather chairs surrounded by a pile of books as large as the Carpathian Mountains themselves. Beth herself was seated in a chair with her feet hanging over the armrest and her back against the other one.

"Alright…"Jen said looking up from her book, causing everyone to look at her. "This is a stupid question, but has anyone found anything?"

"If we found something do you really think we would keep it a secret?" Mori replied as she glared at Jen from over the cover of her book and then added with some extra spite. "…princess…"

"Will you stop calling her that!" Anna told Mori. "You sound like a vampire when you call her that."

"How do you…"

"Mori!" Beth quickly interrupted her, her green eyes wide with fright as she looked at the raven-haired girl. Something was most definitely wrong. Mori would never be this malicious, or so careless about her precious secret. She couldn't have been thinking clearly. Was it possible that she had finally crossed that thin red line to insanity? Beth didn't want to admit it, but Mori was beginning to act like…well…her father.

"Sorry." Mori said, her voice suddenly quiet and she returned a book to her pile and pulled out another one as quickly as she could. Beth saw the book and decided she had better say something, even at the risk of getting her head bitten off.

"Um…Mori…" Beth whispered to her. Mori pulled down her book and glared dangerously at Beth.

"What?" Clearly, she was very annoyed with Beth.

"Do you always read upside down?" Beth pointed out. Mori looked down at the book in her hands. It was indeed upside down. Mori just hadn't noticed that little fact just yet.

"Yes, I find it rather relaxing." Mori replied and then turned the book to it's proper position. She then plunged into it, not to come up for air anytime in the next few hours unless something important should happen.

"Prophecies!" Anna shouted suddenly sometime later, causing everyone in the entire room to jump a mile high.

"What?" Beth asked getting out of her chair and running over to look over Anna's shoulder at the book she had.

"_The Immortalis Chronicles_ is a book full of prophecies and resurrection spells. Mostly it's just spells but at least one fourth of the book is prophecies." Anna said reading out of the book in her hands.

"He wants a prophecy?" Jen asked, making sure she got everything right. "Or a spell?" she added quickly.

"Yeah, but which one? And why? How did he even know about the book in the first place? How come he knew where to find it, too?" Beth asked herself. The girl then looked up at her friends who were staring at her for talking to herself.

"Did I say that out loud?" Beth asked them.

"Yes, you did." Jen replied.

"Uh…" Beth said, slightly embarrassed that she couldn't keep her own thoughts in her mind. "Then I won't have to repeat myself. So…any ideas as to the answers?"

Everyone in the library looked around at each other, well, everyone but Mori. She hadn't moved at all in the past hour an a half, let alone speak. No one really expected her to start now. Everyone was either had a loss for words or had no ideas whatsoever.

"I have no idea." Carl replied finally.

Mori sighed in aggravation from behind the safety of her book.

"Well, that was informative." she said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable she uttered.

"Mori!" Jen and Beth scolded her at the same time.

"What?" Mori asked innocently. Her head had jerked back when her name was said, as if she had been pulled out of a trance.

"Why don't you go rest, Mori." Beth told her quietly as she looked at the floor. Something about what Mori had said…it sounded a bit all to familiar. Could it be that she was finally turning into…Beth shook her head violently to get such thoughts out of her head. That was impossible. Mori was to strong for that. Wasn't she?

"Why?" Mori asked.

"You're not acting like yourself."

The next night, Bethany entered the library to find that Mori and Mori alone was in it.

"Where are the others?"

"On a werewolf hunt. One sounded while you were still asleep about a second after sundown." Mori retorted. She was obviously not in the best mood, but why? Why was she acting like this and always getting terrible headaches when she wasn't? Could it be that the blood Beth had given her sometime ago was not good enough to sustain her? Was this all Beth's fault?

"Well, that's pretty important." Beth said calmly as she walked over to a book shelf and reached for a manuscript. "It's just…something doesn't seem right. Some questions still need answering."

"Intelligent person, aren't you?" Mori asked as she eyed the girl from behind her book. "Very well. What do you want to know?"

Beth's blood immediately ran cold. Her eyes widened in shock and horror. The way Mori said that, and with the exact same words as well. She just couldn't help but remember.

"_Intelligent werewolf, aren't you?" Dracula said eyeing the purple form in front of him. "Very well. What do you want to know?"_

Beth looked at Mori and the half vampire looked back. It wasn't Mori. It couldn't be. The eyes alone were enough to strike fear into anyone who looked into them. Those weren't Mori's, which usually held a terrible storm at bay. These were the eyes of a killer… a cold, hollow, killer.

"Dracula?" Beth asked.

Suddenly, Mori fell on the floor grasping her head.

"Mori? Who am I talking too?" Beth asked franticly.

Mori thrashed around of the floor, her eyes closed and mouth open in pain gasping out silent moans. Her fangs had grown out, showing that something wasn't right if one couldn't tell by the violent thrashing. Beth backed up in fear. What was happening?

"Bethany…" Mori gasped out in a quiet voice. She was doing something that Beth had never heard from her before. She was pleading.

"Bethany…run. He…he's coming."

Beth's eyes widened even more. She quickly bent down to Mori.

"I'm not going without you." Beth told her.

"GO!" Mori said literally throwing her at the door. Beth landed on her back out in the hallway. After something like that, she didn't need to be told twice. The girl quickly got up and ran for her life…

"She said something about Dracula, at least I think it was Dracula." Beth told Van Helsing, Anna, Carl and Jen as they arrived back at Valerious Manor. The girl had gone to find them for help. It had been about an hour and Beth could only pray that what was going on with Mori was about over, or that Dracula hadn't come yet. She and the group behind her were practically running into the manor.

"What did she say?" Van Helsing asked, who was following closely in Beth's wake.

"That he was…oh my God."

Beth stopped dead when she saw the Valerious library. It was a disaster. Books were thrown all over the floor along with the pages torn out of them. Some of the torches that lit the room had been put out and fallen on the floor and the gas lamp on the desk was now on the floor, shattered. The glass from the windows were broken as well, the night breeze entering. Stuck to the windowsill with a bloody piece of gas was a note.

Beth ran over and grabbed it, not really realizing what she was doing. Her body was working on it's own even though all her limbs had gone numb. Her brain had seemed to stop working. All she was thinking was _this can't be happening, this can't be happening!_

"Oh my…" Jen breathed from the door way, the others finally catching up to Beth and Van Helsing.

Blinking back tears of pain, Beth pulled the sharp glass out of the windowsill causing her own fresh blood to appear in her palm when she dropped the piece to the floor. On the parchment with long curvy handwriting where these words.

_Have no fears for young Mori. The child is with me, as she should be. She is safe for the time being, but only till her purpose is served. After that the girl is quite disposable. Don't attempt to find the child. Even Gabriel will not be able to find the girl where I plan to keep her. _

_My best regards,_

_Dracula_

"I'll kill him." Beth whispered, hatred filling up her emerald eyes. "I'LL KILL HIM!"

The girl whirled around and headed for the door. She would have made it too if Van Helsing hadn't stopped her. Beth tried to shake him off, but the hunter's grip was firm and strong as ever.

"What are you going to do, Beth? Get killed while you look for Mori?" Van Helsing asked her.

"At least I will have a clear conscious when I do." Beth replied, her blood boiling at the thought of dying before she could kill Dracula herself.

"There is no why you are going out there and there is no way you can convince me otherwise." Van Helsing told her looking Beth square in the eye.

"You tried that last time and see how that worked out? Now let go!"

"You are angry, Beth. You'll make stupid mistakes because you're blinded by rage!" Van Helsing told her as he grabbed Beth's other arm.

"What do you expect me to do! Sit here and knit till Dracula kills Mori!" Beth roared an inch from the monster hunter's face.

"It's actually quite relaxing…"

"Shut up Carl!" Beth growled at the friar, who quickly hid behind Anna.

"I'm going to find her and no one will stop me!" the teen declared as she blinked back an ocean of tears. After years and years of building up her wall inside her, Mori and Jen were the only ones who had entered it. They were the sisters she never had. Beth wasn't going to let her sister die, not if she could do something about it.

"Beth, I know Mori is family to you…" Van Helsing told her gently as if he had read her mind. "just like Carl is to me."

"I am?" came Carl's meek voice but it was ignored, as usual.

"Think about it. Would she want you to die because of her?" the hunter continued.

Beth looked down. Why did he have to do this to her?

"No, but she should at least do something about it." Beth said looking back up at him.

Van Helsing saw the unshed tears in her eyes. He really did have to feel sorry for her. No family, like him and now one of her friends, who was like her sister, was at the mercy of the world's deadliest vampire. He probably would have done the same thing if it was Carl or more if it was Anna that Dracula had captured.

"We will look for her, but you, Jen and Carl have to stay here and out of danger. We can't afford to lose you two kids as well, especially Jen since she is the youngest Valerious." Van Helsing replied.

"But I…"

Van Helsing stopped the girl by placing his index finger over her lips. He knew her all to well. Beth would find a loophole and use it. He had to say all of it all now.

"You or Jen can't sneak out either to do it, and having Carl with you still counts as sneaking out. If you don't slip away, we will let you join us every once and a while. You can't search during the day either. You must stay in the manor. Got it?"

"Can we search in the day if you are with us?" Beth asked, seeing as that was the only hole she could find.

"Yes."

"Okay, but you better find her." Beth told him. Van Helsing smiled. She was still acting tough.

"Don't worry. We will, I can promise you that. We will find Mori."


	13. Fight!

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Bethany heard the door to the Manor open and then swing shut again. Anna and Van Helsing were back. She jumped up off her bed and ran to the entry way. When she rounded the corner to the foyer, her heart sank. They were alone. Only Jen and Carl stood beside them.

"No sign?" Beth asked hopefully.

"None." Anna replied, her face solemn as the grave.

"A week, an entire week." Jen whispered as she fell into a chair, shock written all over her features. Beth bit her lower lip and turned around, both of her hands grasping the back of a chair causing her knuckles to turn white. She had her eyes closed to keep from crying. How dare Dracula toy with her emotions this way. She thought she was past this. Apparently she wasn't. Oh why did it have to be Mori? Beth alone out of all of her companions fully understood the danger she was in. If Dracula found out that Mori was…she couldn't even think about it without shuddering.

"She's dead. She has to be. I mean, and entire week with Dracula." Jen said looking at Anna.

"Stop it. She's alive. Mori has to be." Beth said.

"Beth, there is no way…"

"Yes there is." Beth said turning to Jen.

"She's dead…" Jen said standing as she tried to put logic in Beth, who quickly cut her off.

"Stop saying that!"

"It's the truth." Jen told her, a tear rolling down her creamy cheek.

"No it's not. I refuse to accept that fact, Jen."

"Mori is dead."

"Do you have any proof!" Beth raised her voice, losing her control again. The dam she had built to hold back her emotions had broken and now it was all coming out. "This is Mori we are talking about. She's alive! And I'm going to find her."

Without another word, Beth turned on her heel and headed to the armory. Before anyone could catch up with her, she had loaded up on weapons and vanished into the mirror.

In front of her stood Castle Dracula. Mori had to be here, she just had to be. Van Helsing and Anna had looked everywhere else. Beth walked up to the gigantic closed doors that led into that horrible manor. No one in their right mind would want to enter that godforsaken place, no one except Beth, and that was only under the correct conditions.

Beth fired her grappling gun and the hook embedded itself above the window that rested above the massive doors. The girl hit a switch and the chord went taunt. As it continued to recoil, Beth was pulled off the ground and closer to the window. When she got to the top, she just flung herself down into the foyer. Beth landed and collapsed so as not to hurt her joints. She rolled a few feet before stopping and standing back up.

"Hello Bethany."

The girl whirled around to see Dracula. He was smirking at her.

"Dracula," Beth said slightly nodding in his general direction. "let's get to business shall we? One: where is Mori? Two: how do you know my full name?"

"Forward, aren't you?" Dracula said. "Young Mori is fine. She is under my control, which is the sole reason she is still alive."

"Why did you take her?" Beth demanded as she fingered the revolver in her pocket.

"All in good time." Dracula replied. "Now, if you follow me, I shall take you to Mori."

Beth had to fight not to faint. That was it? No battle, no insults, no struggle, and no playing with her emotions? It was just to easy. The girl cocked an eyebrow.

"Why are you actually doing what I told you too?" she inquired. "What are you getting at?"

"All in good time dear Bethany, now do you want to see your friend or not?" Dracula asked.

"Fine, but we aren't friends. We are acquaintances." Beth said glaring at him, expecting him to spring his trap at any moment. What she had said about her and Mori was a lie. They were best friends, but in this business it was dangerous to have them. For that reason, friends were known as acquaintances.

Dracula led Beth down many dark corridors, each lit with torches on each side. Beth had a bad feeling about this. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. There was no way Dracula would just hand Mori back on a silver platter. There had to be a catch. What if he had done something to Mori? What if the only reason he was doing this was just so he could see the look on Beth's face when she saw Mori's dead body? Oh yes, this was definitely a trap.

Dracula finally stopped in front of a door and pulled a ring of keys out from under his cloak. He unlocked the door and then turned to Beth.

"After you my dear." he said smirking at Beth. She had to repress the shiver that threatened to shoot down her spine. "Oh, and Mori is in a fragile state, so you will have to leave your weapons with me."

"You are kidding right?" Beth asked him, one eyebrow raised.

"No, I am not. If you don't give up that small arsenal that I am positive you carry with you at all times in that coat of yours, you will not be able to see dear Mori." Dracula said, his eyes glittering in triumph. He had her trapped.

Beth sighed and pulled out her two revolvers, three daggers, sword, rifle and her tojo blades. She then set them just outside the door in a rather large pile. Beth didn't think this was a good idea at all, but Mori was more important.

"Alright, can we go now?" Beth said moving toward the door.

"The others, Miss Beth." Dracula said.

Beth rolled her eyes and handed him two more daggers. Beth then moved toward the door again.

"And the other one."

Would he ever shut up? Nevertheless, Beth sighed heavily and handed him a silver revolver. Hopefully he would be satisfied with that.

Dracula smirked and then pushed the door open. He motioned for Beth to enter first, but she was to smart to do something like that when she was almost weaponless. Thankfully, she still had the dagger hidden in her boot.

"After you, my dear."

"Oh no. By all means, after you." Beth replied. Since this was a trap, she wouldn't fall into it without being difficult first.

"As you wish." Dracula replied and then entered the room. Bethany followed him. She couldn't believe what she saw. There was Mori in the middle of the incredibly bare room. She had her back them, but she seemed as alive and well as ever.

"Mori? Mori, it's me; Bethany."

Beth ran around to face her. Mori's eyes were closed and she showed no response to Beth's words.

"Mori?" Beth asked confused shaking the girl's shoulders. Nothing.

"She cannot hear you, Bethany. I control her mind, her every move. She is mine." Dracula said smirking at Beth.

"What?" Beth asked, her green orbs growing wide.

"Over the past few weeks I have slowly been slipping into her mind. For a while, she was able to resist me. It took most of her concentration and gave her frightful headaches in order to remain in control of course. It didn't take too long before she cracked, however. Now, I control her every move, her every thought, even every memory. She is nothing more than a puppet on my string." Dracula explained.

"You don't really think that you can control her forever." Beth said backing up to put distance between her, Dracula and Mori. This was not going to go well for Beth.

"On the contrary, my dear. I can. I must only be in command of her till you are out of the way and I may bite her." Dracula said as he slowly moved toward Bethany. He looked like a hungry cat going after a trapped mouse. The mouse was doing her best not to loose her composure. Things were not looking up for the mouse.

"Mori serves two purposes for me." Dracula continued. "She is bait for you, which has obviously worked, and is another member to be put into my service."

"Why do you want me gone?" Beth demanded. He heart sunk when she felt the cold stone wall hit her back. That was as far as she was going to go.

"You are how Mori holds onto her sanity as her contact to the human world. After you and Miss Jennifer are eliminated, her mind will be mine for the taking." Dracula told her as he smiled slightly. He was enjoying this a little too much for Beth's taste.

"Mori, my dear," he began. "take care of Miss Bethany for me." With that, he turned on his heel and left the room.

Mori's eyes snapped open and her icy gaze fell on Beth. Mori began to stalk toward her. The girl pressed her back against the wall. She had never seen Mori give her that look before. The look consisted of hatred, anger and loathing. Dracula really was controlling her. Mori really was going to kill her. When this finally sunk in, a strange feeling surfaced inside Beth. Her chest had tightened, her heart beat faster and her mouth became dry. Beth knew what the feeling was. She was scared.

"Mori." Beth started. She had to break her out of this bond. She knew the real Mori was in there somewhere. "Mori, I don't want to fight you. Please remember me. It's Bethany. Mori, you can fight him, I know you can!"

Mori's fist then collided with Beth's stomach. The wind was knocked out of the young monster hunter and she fell to the ground gasping for breath. Not even a second later, Mori pulled Beth to her feet and tried to hit her again. Beth dodged her fist and flung her wrist up Mori's nose. The made her nose bleed for a moment, but it quickly healed over. Without even thinking, Beth jammed her elbow in Mori's stomaching, causing her to double over in pain and gasp to regain the air that Beth knocked from her. Beth tried to make a break for it, but Mori tripped her. Beth fell to the floor with a thud, but quickly recovered and bolted toward the door.

Mori suddenly appeared before her and tried to punch Beth. She quickly dodged it by ducking under the swing. Mori's fist ran into the wall behind Beth which chipped off some of the stone. Mori's fist, unlike the wall, remained completely unscratched. Beth quickly tackled her opponent to the ground. The two rolled around on the floor exchanging blows. It was more like Beth was catching the blows and Mori was throwing them. Finally, Beth kicked Mori off of her.

Beth tied to get up, but Mori tripped her again and rose to her feet half a second before Beth. Mori used her half second advantage to punch Beth in the stomach once again. The girl fought not to double over and recovered by kicking Mori in the face. The more blows that were exchanged, the weaker Beth became. Out of the blue, Mori pinned Beth against the wall by her neck. Beth quickly pulled out her last defense, the dagger she had hidden in her boot. She tried to cut Mori's hand with it, but Mori grabbed her wrist and squeezed down on it. Beth groaned in pain and the dagger fell though her fingers. Mori quickly picked up the blade in her own hand. She smiled evilly right before she mercilessly shoved the blade into Beth's left shoulder. Beth screamed as the white hot pain surged though her body. She could feel the trail of warm blood trickle down her arm. Beth bit her lower lip to try and send the pain away without any success.

Mori pulled the dagger out and flung it across the room. The bladed landed with a loud clatter on the floor. Mori then grabbed the back collar of Beth's coat and flung her though the wooden door. Beth screamed again as pain shot through every single bone in her body. She landed hard on the cold stone floor on her injured shoulder. Beth swallowed her moan of pain. She had to concentrate on something other than the fire that surged through her. Beth shook her head in an attempt to clear her foggy vision and it actually helped a little, but that voice had to come though loud and clear.

"Well, you lasted longer than I thought you would. You must be a very stubborn girl."

Beth looked up to see Dracula towering above her. The girl, thinking of nothing she could say to him, spit on him before she wiped away the fresh blood oozing from her lower lip as she slowly sat up. Mori then came up behind her and pinned the teen against the wall. She held Beth up so her feet weren't touching the floor. Beth could scarcely breathe. She couldn't concentrate on the blood that was seeping from the cuts on her cheek, forehead, and temple or her bleeding nose and lip. She knew this was it. Beth was going to die and Mori would be the one to kill her.

"So Miss Bethany, is there anything you'd like to say to your _friend_ before you die?" Dracula asked her.

What would Mori want Beth to do in this situation?….Be sarcastic and annoy the crud out of everyone.

Beth smiled slightly as she looked Mori straight in the eyes. The eyes!…Beth almost forgot to breathe. Mori's ice blue eyes were holding back a storm of emotion, just as they had been in Beth's dream from so long ago. This was what it had meant. Now she finally knew.

Mori's hand closed down on Beth's throat, cutting off what little air flow she had. That was it. She had to get though to Mori. She just had too. Beth couldn't let herself die this way, not without trying to save Mori.

"Mori…" Beth choked out in a desperate attempt to reach her. She coughed before she blurted it out.

"Morianalynn!"

Mori immediately dropped Beth, who began gasping for breath. Beth looked up at Mori in hope that her full name had brought her out of Dracula's spell, but the same blank looked remained on her features. Beth's heart fell. It hadn't worked.

"What did you call her?" came Dracula's voice, breaking Beth out of her thoughts of despair.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Beth jumped up and ran away. She had accomplished one thing. She had found Mori, but she would need help to bring her back. The teen ran through the hallways and corridors trying to find her way out. Beth's entire body was throbbing in protest at running, but it had to be done. She could hear the other pair of footsteps in the hallway. Dracula was following her.

Beth dashed around the corner to catch her breath, which was still low from when Mori had almost suffocated her. Suddenly, someone grabbed Beth's arm and pulled her into a dark alcove. Beth tried to struggle against her captor, but the person pushed against her injured shoulder. Beth moaned in pain. However, a hand flew out of the darkness to cover her mouth.

"Shut up Bethany, or he'll hear us."

Beth's eyes widened in shock. The person who had saved her was none other than Mori! The two stayed there a moment, Beth unable to move because of Mori's grip on her shoulder. Footsteps slowly came toward them. There was no doubt in either girls' minds who they belonged to. The closer the steps got, the less either teenager breathed. Then, the footsteps died into silence. After a moment of waiting, Mori let go of Beth.

"Alright." Mori said as she walked out of the alcove with Beth limping behind her. Mori took a deep breath and began.

"One: where am I? Two: how did I get here? Three: how did you get like that? Four: how come I can't remember anything from the past week? Five: how did you know my real name and why did you think I'd let you live after you used it!"

Beth just stood there with her mouth open as she looked at Mori.

"What?" Mori roared.

Suddenly, Beth was hugging Mori tightly. Mori immediately went stiff and glared at Bethany.

"You're touching me."

"Sorry!" Beth replied as she quickly pulled away. Mori was back to her normal self. Oh, life was good. Beth could have cried, but didn't have the strength to be emotional at the moment. A few minuets more of this and she would just collapse.

"Bethany, what the heck happened to me? What happened to you?" Mori asked, much calmer now.

"I'll tell you later."

The girls made it back to the manor as quickly as they could, Mori unharmed and Beth receiving no more injuries than she already had. When they arrived, they found that the manor was empty. Well, that was a huge bonus. Beth could rest and bandage herself up before Van Helsing had the chance to shout at her. Every bone and muscle in her body was sore. After shattering a thick oak door, anyone would be.

When Beth made it to her room, the first thing she did was bandage her shoulder and clean all the dried blood off her face. The hot water stung the cuts, but it felt wonderful to get all the dust, dirt and whatever else was there off her face. When she caught her reflection in the mirror, Beth almost cringed. Sure her face was clean, but everything else was a mess. Her hair was frizzy and tangled and her clothes (with the exception of her coat and boots) were frayed and torn beyond repair. Beth put on a fresh black shirt and black pants with a tight black vest along with her coat and boots.

Bethany lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She was exhausted. Beth didn't want to admit it aloud to herself, but if Mori wanted to kill her, she could do so _very_ easily. That's what scared her the most. She was just glad that Mori used her powers for good, that she was born with a soul. Lord knows what she would do if she was evil.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, but only for a moment. She needed to calm down…_a lot._


	14. Mori, talking & running

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Beth got up minuets later and quickly brushed her hair to get it untangled. It felt good to finally get her hair under control. The girl then walked down to the hidden library. She knew they needed to find something on a half creature like Mori was. Beth also hoped to find something out about why Dracula was able to get into Mori's mind. Was it a spell, or something entirely different?

The first thing Beth saw when she entered was Mori reading in a chair. She just had to smiled slightly at his familiar sight. Things were back to normal, well, as normal as things could ever get around here.

"Hello sunshine." Mori told her.

"Hi Mori." Beth replied. "Where are the others?"

"They haven't gotten back yet." Mori replied and then shut her book with a snap.

"Now, would you care to fill me in on what happened to me tonight?" Mori said leaning toward Beth.

Beth sighed and slowly sat down on the couch. She was feeling extremely lightheaded. The room almost seemed like it was spinning and she was hanging two feet in the air. Her stomach was churning continuously, which only added to her reason to sit. She didn't want, in a sudden wave a nausea, to throw up. That would only make her feel even worse. Her soreness had yet to wear off as well. Beth had decided that it was better to sit now than to collapse later.

"Well, _he_ had control of your mind for the past week." Beth told her quietly. This was hard to say. The teen knew that Mori had no control over it, but what Beth had gone through was painful. The week when she didn't know what was going to become of Mori, Beth was overcome with her worry and grief. She thought, at times, that she would never see her friend again. Afterward during the fight…Beth didn't even want to think about it.

"HE WHAT!" Mori roared at the top of her lungs. Beth shuddered slightly at the sound of her voice. She knew it was coming. This wouldn't go over well with Mori. It was hardly believable to Beth herself who had just lived through the frightening ordeal. Nevertheless, it was true and nothing could change that. That is why Beth tried to tell her as calmly as possible.

"Bethany?" Mori asked, waiting for her to explain herself.

Beth moaned slightly and began to rub her temples. She was getting a rather large and painful headache. It wasn't Mori's fault of course. However, a headache was a very exasperating thing right now and the last thing the girl needed to add to her list of recent ailments.

Mori had stood up and was now ranting as she paced back and forth in front of the couch. Beth wasn't paying any attention to her. She was too busy with her head at the moment. She had learned to stop listening to Mori's fuming outbursts a long time ago. Suddenly, Mori stopped right in front of Beth and looked over at her. It was only then she noticed that the teen wasn't feeling to well.

"Are you alright, Bethany?" Mori asked her as she sat down on the other end of the couch.

"Yes, I'm fine. After what I just lived through, I'm lucky to be alive." Beth told her with a soft smile. She was trying to put Mori's mind at ease. Of course, it didn't work.

"Who did this to you Bethany?" Mori asked looking over all her friend's cuts, scratches and bruises. At the moment, Bethany was a piteous sight to behold. Usually, she was strong and wouldn't show her weaknesses, but today something or someone had broken that image. It seemed that whatever it was did it with ease as well. "Did one of the brides beat you up this badly?"

"Yes."

Mori looked into Beth's green eyes, who quickly turned them to the floor. Beth hoped that the sadness and turmoil inside her wasn't showing through. That would only make Mori feel worse if she knew. Beth didn't blame her for what she did. Mori couldn't help it after all. It wasn't Mori who did it to her. It was Dracula, and him alone. However, she knew Mori would see things otherwise.

"You are lying to me."

Beth looked up at Mori, shocked that she could tell. How was it that Mori always knew what was going on?

"I know you are." Mori continued. "Now, who did this to you?"

Beth sighed softly and then looked down at her feet. She was going to tell Mori the truth. That is what she wanted. However, Beth knew she wouldn't like the answer at all.

"You did." Beth told her.

A heavy silence hung between them. Mori couldn't believe it. _She_ was the reason Beth was in such pain? _She_ was the cause of all those wounds? How was this possible. Mori would never do something like that to Bethany, ever.

"I don't…"

"You were under his control at the time." Beth cut Mori off. She needed to finish this, or else she may not get it out otherwise. "He told you t…to…he told you to kill me."

There were the words that cut through both of them like a knife. It hurt Beth so much to tell her this because she knew it hurt Mori to hear it. Mori wanted the truth, and now she had it. She knew what she had done. Beth wanted so badly to make it easier, but she couldn't.

"Mori, I…"

Mori wasn't listening to her. She simply got up from the couch in a huff and stalked out into the hall way. Beth sat still, listening to the echoing click of Mori's boots on the stone floor. Moments later, she heard and angry grunt and then the sound of ceramic breaking. Beth closed her eyes and lay down on the couch.

"Great…" she mumbled to herself before her body gave way to sleep.

---

"Beth! Oh my gosh!

Bethany jumped awake on the couch and let a small shriek of surprise escape her lips. Her rapid heartbeat only returned to it's normal speed when she saw that the person who had woken her was only Jen. The girl sighed in relief as she slowly sat up. She accidentally leaned on her left shoulder when she did this and fought not to wince in pain. On the upside, her stomach seemed to be settled and a pounding head no longer ailed her. Oh, what miracles sleep could do for a person.

"Not so loud Jen, please." Beth told her.

"Sorry." Jen said and helped Beth finally sit upright. She looked her over and worry washed over her soft features. "What happened to you? You look like something ate you and them spit you back up."

"Wonderful analogy, but that's pretty accurate." Beth replied with an encouraging smile, which Jen returned full heartedly.

"Where did you go!"

Beth moaned inwardly at that voice. Why did Van Helsing have to disapprove everything she did? Couldn't he see that this was important. Van Helsing then rushed into her line of sight. Beth then saw something on his roguish face that she had never seen before, worry and concern. His coat billowed out behind is form when he bent down on his knees so he was at the same level with Beth. The teen lowered her eyes to her lap. She didn't know why though. There was nothing she had to be ashamed of. She was only doing what her heart told her was right.

"Look at me Beth."

She looked up and her eyes locked with the monster hunter's deep brown orbs. So many things were said in those dark pools. There was longing, worry, concern, and even a bit of fear. _An unusual combination._ Beth thought to herself. _ You think that he, as a hardened monster hunter, would learn to get over his fear._

"Where were you?" Van Helsing demanded again, this time only softer.

"I found Mori." Beth told him flatly. She really didn't want to talk at the moment. She just wanted to go back to sleep.

"We could tell by the broken vase in the hallway." Anna said as she came to stand behind Van Helsing. Beth noticed that Carl was with her. The two also looked worried. Were all of them worried just about her?

"Where did you find her? Where did you go? What happened to you? Who beat you up like this?" Van Helsing asked.

"Stop it Van Helsing." Jen told him. "Can't you see she's not feeling well?"

"But we need to know!" Van Helsing raised his voice at Jen. He was a bit testy at the moment.

"Stop shouting at me!" Jen shouted back. She had no idea that what she had just done defeated the purpose of her statement.

"I wasn't shouting!"

"Yes you were!"

Jen and Van Helsing began shouting madly at each other. Anna then began shouting at the two of them to stop shouting at each other. This entirely defeated the purpose, of course. Beth now knew where Jen got it. Carl, to make matters worse, began trying to break up the fights with more shouting. Beth remained quiet, trying to soothe her pounding head.

"Turn it off." she moaned as she began to rub her temples.

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone in the room just froze in the position that they were standing in. Van Helsing and Anna were leaning into one another, Van Helsing with his arms wide with Anna pointing a finger at him. Poor Carl was in between the two, attempting to push them apart. Anna was also holding Jen back behind her with one arm. Beth sat to the side of all this chaos, thrilled that it was quiet once again. The group that had been fighting each other was now staring at the entrance to the room. Beth sighed and turned on the couch to see Mori standing square in the middle of the doorframe. She looked fairly calm compared to when she left the room. Thank goodness, otherwise she would look for something else to take her anger out on. That meant another vase would have met an untimely end.

"Mori!" Jen squealed in delight and ran over to the dark teenager. Mori quickly put a hand on Jen's shoulder an arm's length away from her before the young Valerious got too close for comfort.

"No hugging." Mori told the girl. Jen looked into Mori's eyes for a moment and what she saw caused her to quickly step back. Whatever happened earlier, Jen could tell it wasn't good and that she should not test her friend's limits at the moment.

"Right, sorry."

"Don't worry about it princess." Mori told her as she leaned against the doorframe with crossed arms.

"How do you always manage to sneak around like that?" Van Helsing asked. Mori just shrugged and saw a soft smile appear on Beth's lips.

"It's a gift. Now, what were you all screaming about?"

"Beth." Carl replied. Beth rolled her eyes and collapsed against the back of the couch, rubbing her temples. Mori shook her head at her when she saw this.

"Why?" Mori asked no one in particular.

"She's a mess!" Jen replied with slight worry in her voice. Beth couldn't tell if she was worried about her, Mori's sanity, or both.

"Well," Mori started as she moved towards Beth and sat on the arm of the sofa. "that's what happens when you go up against two vampire brides. Isn't that what you said Bethany?"

"Yes, I did say that." Beth replied. She really wasn't lying. She did say it was the brides, she just happened to be lying when she said it was the brides. Technically, she was telling the truth about a lie. The girl looked up at Mori. Obviously she was feeling better. She was almost like her old self again, before all this started. "Both of them."

"Mori," Jen said suddenly, but quickly fell silent again. Apparently, something was on her mind that she wanted to say. For some reason or another, she decided against it.

"Yes?" Mori asked turning to her, urging the girl to continue.

"When Dracula had you…uh…nothing…um…well, _happened_, right?" Jen asked.

"Nothing at all." Mori replied as she somehow managed to keep her calm sangfroid. Beth had no idea how she did it. How did Mori keep that secret, something that big, locked inside her for sixteen or so years? How could she deal with something so dark and terrible? It was who she was, and she couldn't deny that no matter how much she hated it. Beth just couldn't imagine what it would be like to live with something like that.

Mori looked at Beth for a moment, and then turned back to Jen and the others before she spoke.

"Nothing at all."

A few days passed and Beth had finally healed up. First thing she did was go back to her training. She always trained with either Mori, Van Helsing, and sometimes even both of them. It was especially challenging when it was with both of them. Two to one were never good odds, but her skills were improving nonetheless. When Van Helsing wasn't with them and when they couldn't be seen by others, Mori would use her powers in her fight against Beth. That way, Beth would be able to at least escape in case the events that took place at Dracula's castle should ever repeat itself, heaven forbid. Even there, Beth was still improving.

Mori would never admit it, but those training sessions also helped her gain more control over her powers. She began to learn how to unleash them little by little, which could be a crucial element in a fight. In order to manipulate the enemy, you must first learn how to manipulate yourself.

"Beth?" Jen asked one day while the two were alone in the library. They were still looking for what Dracula wanted from that book. Was it a spell? Or was is a prophecy? No one really knew.

"Yes, Jen?" Beth replied, urging her to continue.

"Are you good at keeping secrets?" Jen asked.

Beth closed her book and then looked at her friend. Worry was written all over her features. Clearly something was bothering her. This caused Beth's own concern for her to grow. Was something wrong with Jen? If so, what was it?

"Jen, what's wrong?"

"Just answer the question." Jen told her. "Are you good at keeping secrets, even from Mori?"

"Yes, even from Mori." Beth replied. What was Jen talking about? Did she somehow find out about Mori's family? How did she do that? How could she have known?

"When people are born with…with…um…certain abilities, you know they can't help it, right?" Jen began, really fumbling over her words. She seemed to be doing her best to choose her words as carefully as possible.

Beth froze in place. Jen had found out about Mori. How? How could she? Did she hear Mori and Beth talking one day? Did she see one of the training sessions? How did Jen find out?

"I know." the girl replied. She needed Jen to clarify some things for her troubled mind. That meant she needed to get her to speak.

"Well, I…"

Suddenly, quick booted foot steps were heard and Jen stopped in mid-sentence. Mori appeared in the doorway. She was breathing heavily and looked flustered.

"What happened?" Beth asked standing up, her conversation with Jen temporarily forgotten.

"We have a problem with an overgrown puppy." Mori said.

"What happened to Carl?" Beth asked. Jen smiled slightly at this remark.

"No Bethany." Mori sighed and rolled her eyes at the girl.

"Mori, you of all people should know sarcasm when you hear it." Beth replied.

"No, I recognize _good_ sarcasm when I hear it." Mori replied.

"Shut-up."

The werewolf escaped them, unfortunately. They almost killed it. Beth shot at it. She would have hit it too if Van Helsing hadn't moved her out of it's path. That was a good thing, however. The entire group escaped relatively unharmed. The most anyone had was a few scratches or bruises. Beth suspected that Carl had wet pants and if he in fact did, it would've been quite humorous.

"Mori, we have to tell Jen." Beth told Mori as the two entered Beth's empty room back at the manor.

"Tell her what?" Mori asked as Beth closed and locked the door.

"About you."

Mori froze, her icy gaze falling on Bethany. Beth stood still, her emerald orbs locked onto Mori's own. Mori was clearly not in favor of this new idea. Beth understood why. Jen was a Valerious. If Mori were evil, she would've been trying to kill her and Jen would in turn be trying to kill Mori. Thankfully, things did not turn out that way.

"No." Mori told the stubborn teenage girl.

"We have too." Beth said trying to reason with her.

"No, we don't Bethany. If you recall the only reason you found out about my family was by accident. I wasn't going to tell you that little fact about my life, no matter how good of acquaintances we became." Mori replied.

"Mori, I remember. We will have to tell her soon. Who would you rather have her hear it from, you…or your father?" Beth argued.

"Well, me." Mori replied, defeated. Of all people in the world, besides her mother, Beth was the only person to win an argument with her.

"C'mon, we better go tell her now." Beth said. She wasn't looking forward to this.

"You know she will most likely faint." Mori pointed out as the two made their way to where Jen was, which was the outside courtyard.

"Well, at least we will be ready for that." Beth said.

The two found Jen rather quickly. She was laying on one of the stone benches staring up at the stars. They didn't know it, but she was trying to find the winter constellations. So far she had found three and Polaris, the northern star.

"Hi Jen." Beth said cheerfully enough.

"Hi guys." Jen said turning her head in order to see them. She then sat up to make room for Beth on the bench. Mori remained standing. She really didn't feel like sitting at the moment. She was far to anxious.

"Jen, we have to talk."

"About what?" a voice asked.

The trio spun around to see Aleera behind them. They then looked the other way to see Verona on the other side of them. Beth and Jen stood up quickly as Mori pulled the two toward her protectively.

"Oh, do tell us!" Aleera cooed and then laughed. Mori pulled Beth and Jen behind her. Mori was the most intimidating of the three seeing as she was about an inch or two taller than Beth, who was taller than Jen. Also, being part vampire didn't hurt either.

"I see no reason why we should discuss our own matters with deranged psychopaths." Beth said calmly.

"What?" Verona asked.

"You have to use smaller words, Bethany. Otherwise, they can't understand the insult." Mori told her.

"You little…"

"In case you haven't noticed Aleera, I'm not so little anymore." Mori snapped at her.

"Yes, we have noticed."

Beth's heart froze when she heard Dracula's voice. Why did he have to show up every time! Mori's blood boiled at just the thought of her father. If he knew what was good for him, he'd run away screaming from his daughter. That was if she didn't kill him first.

"But you were just so cute!" Aleera teased the dark, angry teenager before her.

"I was never cute." Mori argued. She glared evilly at the bride before her. Mori was doing her best to hold back her rage at the vampires before her. Dracula noticed this and smirked.

"Why don't you let go Morianalynn?" Dracula asked. Mori's eyes flashed hatred that Beth and Jen didn't even know existed. "Like you did with Bethany. Don't tell me that it didn't feel good to finally let your emotions run wild. If you did, you'd be lying."

"We all know what good that did us." Mori replied calmly, her voice masking the raging fire that flowed through her veins.

"Give up the masquerade my dear. No one is buying it. No one trusts you anymore." Dracula said.

"And how do you know that?" Beth interrupted, defiance flaming in her emerald eyes. Who was he to talk to Mori like that? He had no right to toy with Mori, with anyone that way.

"You are far too stubborn for your own good!" Aleera spat at her.

"I believe I wasn't talking to you." The teen snapped at the red haired bride. Mori couldn't have been more proud of her at that moment. Beth was beginning to sound like her. A small smile threatened to slip onto her lips. However, now was not the time for that.

"Having your friends fight your battles? You have become soft." Dracula said shaking his head at Mori.

Mori closed her ice blue eyes to try and calm herself. She couldn't loose control. Not now, not here. She knew what happened last time, and it would not happen again. History would NOT repeat itself as long as she had her say in it.

"At least I_ have_ friends." Mori replied, her eyes snapping open. The glare she gave Dracula froze him in his tracks. He was so close to getting her to erupt. He could tell by the death glare he had received. It was much like his own…only worse.

"I have my brides." Dracula replied.

"Hostages don't count." Mori snapped, venom dripping from every syllable she uttered.

Beth slowly and discreetly reached into her coat and pulled out one of her revolvers. She then slipped it into Mori's pale hand. The half vampire then hid the firearm in the folds of her black cloak.

"You and Jen make a run for it. I'll stay here and hold them off." Mori whispered to Beth. The girl nodded silently and grabbed Jen's arm.

"Get ready to run for it." Beth whispered in the youth's ear.

"We are not hostages." Verona retorted.

"I beg to differ." flew out of Jen's mouth. Beth cocked and eyebrow as she looked at her friend. Well, that was a first.

"Nice one." Beth told her.

"You little…" Aleera began, but Mori wouldn't give her the chance.

"Go!" the girl said as she revealed the revolver and began to fire. Beth and Jen took off immediately. Beth pushed the young Valerious in front of her. It was more important that she survived and not her.

"Beth!" Jen said turning back to her as the two ran for the mansion.

"Get to the manor." Beth ordered the girl. Jen nodded and turned back around.

Aleera swooped down from Beth's right and shoved the girl as hard as she could. Beth flew though the air and landed hard on the ground. Without wasting a second, Beth pulled out her trusty silver revolver and fired at the bride. The bullet embedded itself in the bride's shoulder. She screamed in pain, which gave Beth time to get up and run like heck. The bride followed her, which made Beth duck to avoid being hit. The girl dodged low tree branches, which would cut her face and hands if she hit them. She tripped occasionally on stones and roots that had worked themselves out of the ground. Every time, Beth would push herself up and keep running.

The youth reached a clearing and turned around to see if the bride was still following her. Her firearm was still out and ready. All five shots left in the gun had the bride's name on them. For some odd reason, the vampire had vanished. Beth couldn't even hear the flapping of her great wings. All that reached her ears was her own rapid and deep breathing. The teen search for some kind of sound, anything to tell her what happened. The forest was dead silent. No birds were chirping. All the leaves were unmoving on the ground. Not even a hoot of an owl or the scampering of a squirrel was heard. The forest was _too_ silent. Aleera was close.

The bride pounced with a scream of fury and Beth opened fire on the large white bat-like creature. She hit her in the wings, gut and face. Beth turned and hightailed it out of there. Two bullets were left in her revolver. She needed to save those. The girl had to loose the bride. She hoped to do just that under the cover of the forest.

The bride was on the tail of the girl and Beth was weakening. She was tired, and Aleera knew it. With a surge of speed, the bride flew forward and picked up the girl with the sharp talons in her feet. Beth moaned in pain as warm blood began to trickle down her arms. Beth shot the bride in the ankle. Aleera screamed, but didn't let go. Beth shot up one more time before her revolver clicked empty. The bullet landed in the vampire's neck. Aleera screamed again in agony and finally released the girl from her clutches.

Beth fell through the air as the top of the forest raced closer to her. The girl fell though the trees, the sharp branches tearing her skin apart. The youth landed hard on a thick branch, which knocked the wind from her chest. Beth continued to fall, hitting various branches before she finally hit the ground with a sickening thud.

The girl pushed herself up on all fours and began gasping to fill her deflated lungs. She stuck her revolver back in her coat as she began to cough like mad. Beth felt terrible, but she had to keep moving if she wanted to get away from Aleera. The youth forced herself up and then began to run. She had no idea where she was. She had gotten turned around when Aleera had her captive. Getting to the manor wasn't important now. Surviving was.

Beth ignored the searing pain in her shoulders as she pushed on. A combination of sweat and blood threatened to roll down in to her eyes. Beth swiped it away angrily. How could she have been so stupid not to see this coming. All three of them were outside without Van Helsing or Anna in earshot. They were even out in the open! Why couldn't she see the danger signs! Sloppy, just plain sloppy.

Beth burst through the edge of the woods and hit the edge of a cliff. She glanced over the edge to see a roaring river about five stories below her. The girl swore under her breath and turned to go back. She froze in her tracks when she saw that Aleera was already there. The bride was smirking and her eyes had already changed to violet at the prospect of fresh blood.

Beth backed up slightly, but stopped then her heel hit the edge of the ground. The girl weighed her options. She could go over the cliff and possibly die, or face the bride with inadequate weaponry and possibly be turned into a vampire. It was death, or serve her mortal enemy for all eternity. _Just a real win win situation for me._ Beth growled in her mind.

"What are you going to do now Bethany?" Aleera teased her, causing the girl's blood to boil. "You are trapped."

The two locked eyes for a moment. Aleera was shocked to see a fire roaring in the girl's crystal green eyes. She had seen that look before. Aleera had seen those eyes, but where?

"Bye."

Beth jumped over the cliff's edge. The sensation was amazing. It almost felt like she was flying. Her arms were outstretched in an attempt to slow her descent as the water flew closer and closer. The girl's coat and hair was swept away from her form. Her flight ended when she was submerged beneath the frigid water. Beth swam up to the surface and gasped for air in order to fill her lungs.

The current was rough and swift, carrying Beth with it as it roared along. Beth was flung around wildly. She was being pulled underwater at random times and was thrown against rocks with great force. Every time the girl hit a stone, it would cause red blood to seep through her skin only to be washed away by the water.

Beth was thrown against a sharp rock and hit it with her already injured shoulder. The girl screamed in pain as the stone cut into her wound. She was then mercilessly yanked along the river. The coldness of the water was beginning to get to her and dull her senses. Beth knew she had to get to land as soon as possible. The girl began trying to grab onto slippery stones, but she was always pulled away by the tumbling current.

Beth was thrown against another rock with the back of her head colliding with it hard. The girl used this large stone to push off of with as much strength she had left in her legs. Beth began to swim desperately to shore against the current. Her limbs felt like they were being weighed down by sand bags. After struggling for what seemed like hours, Beth finally crawled onto dry land.

She was dripping wet and her hair was stuck to her face. Beth was breathing heavily to get air to her deflated lungs. The girl then began coughing madly. Her stomach gave a painful lurch and water spilled out of her mouth. Beth ran a hand through her drenched hair to get it out of her face. She felt a warmth on the back of her head. Beth pulled her hand in front of her and found that her fingers were covered in fresh blood.

"Sh…"

Her eyes rolled back in her head she collapsed in a heap on the ground.


	15. Bittersweet escape

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Mori opened her icy eyes when she heard someone approaching the cell that she and Jen were in. Dracula came around the corner, and unconscious Bethany in his arms. The vampire opened the door and tossed the girl in, her body lifelessly hitting the ground with a sickening thud. He then locked the door once more with an evil smile.

"A visitor for you two." Dracula told them with the same smirk and then left them.

"Bethany. Bethany!" Mori said as she shook the girl's shoulders. She was worried that Beth was dead when she didn't respond. That couldn't be! Not Beth. She was too stubborn to die!

"What's wrong with her?" Jen asked crawling over to sit next to Mori on the cold stone floor. Mori sensed her fear. She was scared too. "Why is she wet?"

"I don't know, princess." Mori said and then pulled off one of her gloves with her teeth. She placed her pale hand on Beth's cheek. She was freezing cold! She almost felt as if she was dead. Mori could tell that Beth was alive, barely. The pulse of her blood beneath her skin was faint…very faint.

"Jen, help me get her coat off." Mori told her. "She's dangerously close to getting hypothermia."

Mori and Jen pulled off Beth's coat, all the weapons gone from it. No doubt they had Mori's father to thank for that. Beth was shivering like mad. They had to get her warm somehow. She wouldn't last much longer if they didn't.

"Give me your coat." Mori ordered Jen. The girl slipped her coat off her shoulders and handed it to her. Mori put the coat over Beth's form along with her own black cloak. That's when a warm, sweet, aroma reached Mori's nostrils. It was blood. Mori saw the fresh blood on the stone floor, even in the darkened cell. Being half vampire had very few perks, but this was one of them.

"Jen, do you have anything to stop bleeding?" Mori asked. Jen nodded and ripped off the fabric on her sleeves. In no time, the two had Beth bandaged up.

"What do we do now?" Jen asked looking at her dark haired friend.

"We wait."

---

_Beth ran like crazy. She was pushing her way though the woods. She had to get somewhere, but where?_

"_Bethany!" _

_The girl hadn't heard that voice since she was young. It was her mother's voice. But how did she know that? Her mother died in child birth. She decided to go with her gut instinct on this one. The girl ran faster. She had to reach it. She had to reach her mother's voice. _

_Beth ran into a clearing and saw a stone statue in the center of it. The stature was at least ten feet high. The figure was an angel with hair to her shoulders. Her arms were outstretched to welcome any visitors and her wings were extended all the way out as if in flight. _

"_Let it loose, child." the voice said again._

"_What?" Bethany called out. The voice hovered around her and imprinted itself in her memory._

"_It is crucial to your survival. If you don't let go, you will die."_

Beth sat up gasping for air and immediately regretted it because of the throbbing sensation that worked it's way through her skull. A hand placed itself on her shoulder and the girl turned to see Mori sitting next to her.

"Morning sunshine."

"What happened? Where am I?" Beth said looking around at her surroundings. Needless to say they didn't look good.

"Dracula's dungeon." Jen replied calmly.

"What!" Beth shouted. Mori had to fight not to shudder due to the ringing in her sensitive ears.

"Well, Verona picked me up off the ground and brought me here." Jen said.

"Dracula used a pressure point on me to get me unconscious." Mori grumbled angrily. Clearly, she wasn't happy about it at all.

"Ah." Beth said quietly.

"What happened to you?" Mori asked, eager to changed the subject.

"Well, Aleera chased me, picked me up, dropped me, and ran me off a cliff into the coldest water I've ever been in (where I almost drowned), was thrown against rocks (causing me to hit my head) and I collapsed on shore."

"You had it the worst out of the three of us." Jen said, a little shock in her voice. Obviously she didn't expect the answer to be that lengthy.

"Really?" Beth asked sarcastically as she pulled the makeshift bandage off her head in aggravation. _It's no use getting angry._ She told herself. _We are stuck here and that is that. _She sighed heavily and then handed her friends back their items. Jen quickly flung her coat on as Mori slipped on her cloak. Both were grateful to have the extra warmth back. It was freezing in here. Then again, no one really expected a castle in a frozen tundra to be warm.

"So, any idea why we aren't dead yet?" Beth asked as she pulled on her now dry coat. She too was glad for her extra layer of clothing. Her mind unwillingly drifted back to her dream. Let loose? Let loose what?

"No idea." Jen replied. Her voice broke the young huntress out of her thoughts.

"I was asking myself that very thing." Mori said. "It's not like Dracula to keep three people he's been trying to kill alive and locked up in his dungeon."

"Does he want anything from any of us?" Jen asked.

"Who knows, princess." Mori replied. Beth looked at her and she could tell that Mori was thinking the same thing she was. He wanted Mori. But then why leave Jen and Beth alive? Leverage? Or was it something else?

The girls sat there a while, thinking about what was going to happen to them. Beth's mind wandered back to her dream once more. What the heck did she have to let loose? Was it the anger and power she had been feeling in those past battles? Or was it something else? Did this have anything to do with her past? Why was she hearing her mother's voice? Was that voice really her mother's? And that angel in the middle of the clearing seemed so familiar to her. Was her mother the angel? If not, then who was?

Beth's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of feet coming toward them. Dracula and his two brides then appeared around the corner. Beth and Mori glared at them evilly. What the two wouldn't give to kill them all.

The cell door opened and Dracula grabbed onto Mori's arms. Beth was about to stop him when Aleera held her captive. Jen was being held back by Verona. All three girls were yanked to their feet and then lead (more like shoved) into what looked like a ball room. Once the last of them was through the gigantic oak doors, they swung shut and were locked.

Beth surveyed her surroundings. The door was the only opening to the room with a three story tall ceiling above them. There were no windows and no other doors. The girls were trapped. The main door was their only way out. Columns lined the walls every ten or so feet to support the massive ceiling. A good place to hide or hold your ground, but they could serve as nothing permanent.

"Well girls, welcome to my humble abode." Dracula said.

"Humble?" Mori asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"My dear Morianalynn," Dracula said shaking his head at the girl he held in his grasp. "you know full well your own heritage. Why are you not at my side?"

"Because she's not a deranged psychopath." Beth mumbled under her breath. She then looked over to Jen. She didn't know about Mori. Beth swore in her mind. This would not end well. Mori remained silent as an answer to her father's question.

"This is a one time offer, my dear." Dracula told the girl. "If you refuse, I shall be forced to terminate your little friends."

"I can't wait till I get to murder you." Mori hissed at him, her ice blue eyes flashing dangerously at her father.

"Very well. Verona, if you please." Dracula then shoved Mori at Verona and Verona pushed Jen toward him. Verona held onto Mori, who was now struggling against the vampire that held her. Beth, realizing what Dracula was going to do, began fighting against Aleera with all her might. Pain flowed through her shoulders and skull, but she ignored it. She had to get to Jen.

Dracula took Jen in his arms and began brushing the girl's hair away from her neck. He looked down at the young Valerious.

"A shame, really, and so young as well." he said.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Beth roared at him. She didn't care what happened to her, just as long as he left Jen and Mori alone.

"Feeling brave, are we? Maybe I should kill you first." Dracula said, his icy gaze falling on Bethany. " Oh well, say good-bye."

"No!" Mori shouted, but it was to late.

Jen gasped in pain as Dracula dug his fangs into the girl's neck. Beth's heart throbbed with pain, rage and fury._ No,_ she told herself._ don't let your emotions get the better of you._ Beth then remembered her dream. _Let loose._ Beth let loose her emotions and the raw energy that was flowing through every fiber of her being. She closed her eyes and then opened them again, the green crystal flaming.

"Let go of her!" Beth roared. Suddenly, Dracula was pulled off Jen by an invisible force and landed ten feet away on the floor. Jen collapsed in a heap on the ground like a rag doll.

"Jen!" Mori screamed and tried to get to her with no success.

Dracula stood up. He was obviously angry by the look in his eyes. He stalked toward the two remaining girls, but stopped a few yards away.

"Come here!" he ordered Bethany. All of a sudden, Beth felt herself being flown toward Dracula and soon, he had her in his grasp.

"Let go!" Beth said pushing against him. The vampire wasted no time in brushing her hair away from her neck.

"Any last words, Bethany?" he asked.

Beth looked him square in the eye. She didn't flinch or shudder, she just glared at him defiantly. She would not give him the pleasure of seeing her scared.

"Give him hell, Mori."

Dracula then bent down and plunged his fangs in the girl's neck mercilessly. Bethany moaned in pain and agony. Her life was quickly draining from her as she released every emotion inside her. Then, she slipped slowly and calmly into the darkness that consumed her.

"You bastard!" Mori roared at her father as he threw Beth's lifeless body to the ground.

"Thank you dear." he said as he wiped away the last bit of blood he had left on his mouth. "You see Morianalynn, you try to resist your vampire nature. You can't do it forever. Soon, you will give in to the urge for their blood and take an innocent mortal's life. They are nothing more than livestock to us. We are superior and mortals should bow to us. Compared to them, we are gods. We rule them."

"Not as long as I draw breath!" Mori roared, her canines quickly turning into large fangs. Her usually ice blue eyes flashed blood red. Mori was loosing her control. She wanted nothing more than to tear his throat out and wipe that mocking smirk off his face. She craved his blood to be spilled. He had stolen her life and now she would take his as payment. She wanted revenge!

"Now, would Bethany or dear Jennifer want you to be so irrational?" Dracula asked, the smirk still plastered over his features. "Would they want you to die so foolishly?"

"As long as I kill you first!"

Mori was struggling as hard as she could with both brides holding the teen down. Dracula had no idea what he had unleashed. He never expected her reaction to be this wonderful. Once her guard was fully down, he would be able to take her. Everyone was so focused on Mori no one noticed Beth's body glowing with a white light.

Beth's eyes darted open as she gasped for air, which quickly caught everyone's attention. The girl's stomach lurched in pain as she rolled over on all fours. Bethany began to cough violently till a river of blood came streaming out of her mouth. Her stomach protested a second time and more blood spilled out onto the floor. The girl coughed a few more times before her breathing became heavy and labored. She reached up to feel her neck. The bite wounds were gone!

"Bethany?" Mori asked, hoping to see the girl's eyes. She just prayed that they wouldn't be ice blue. She prayed she wouldn't be turned.

"I'm fine." Beth replied looking up, her emerald eyes sunken back in her head. She was exhausted, mentally and physically. "I'm fine."

Beth felt extremely dizzy, but knew she had to get up. The teen used one of the pillars to support herself. When she was finally standing, she had to lean against it to stay upright. Otherwise, her weak knees would have given out. Suddenly, Dracula had her by the neck and was holding her a foot off the floor. Beth gasped for air as the vampire's nails dug into her flesh.

"How did you do that?" he demanded angrily.

Beth tried to kick him, but he just squeezed down tighter on her throat. The young hunter couldn't breathe at all. She needed air!

"Let go of her!" Mori hissed. With speed that no one knew she possessed, Mori used her vampiric strength to throw the two unaware brides into each other. The girl then ran forward and knocked her father down to the ground and caught Bethany before she fell to the ground.

Beth inhaled deeply to refill her deflated lungs as Mori set her on her feet. Beth couldn't believe what Mori had just done. That was amazing! However, now was no time to reflect on her skills. They had to get out of here.

"Are you alright?" Mori asked her friend, concern washing over her face.

"Yeah, get Jen and let's get out of here." Beth said with the adrenaline coursing through her veins giving her the strength to stand. She just didn't know how long it would last.

Mori ran over to scoop up Jen's body when Dracula got up and tried to go after her. Beth flung out her hand and Dracula went flying across the room. The girl then looked at her hand in amazement. How did she do that? As a matter of fact, how did she survive the bite? But now was not the time for questions.

"C'mon Bethany!" Mori said as she kicked open the doors to the ball room. Beth nodded and bolted out the door with Mori carrying Jen's body next to her.

The girls made it safely back to the manor, which was empty. Another blessing. They couldn't have dealt with the others now anyway. They had to revive Jen. It _was_ good to be back though. They were finally safe. The girls could finally relax.

"How's Jen?" Beth asked as Mori laid the young Valerious on her bed.

"She's alive, which is what worries me." Mori replied turning to Beth.

"You mean…"

Mori nodded grimly in response.

"She's been turned."

"Great." Beth mumbled, aggravation dripping from her voice. Jen being a vampire was not good.

Suddenly, Beth was pinned against the wall. Jen had woken up, and was holding the weakened girl hostage.

"Jen, don't!" Mori said but it was to late. Jen bit down in Beth's neck. This time, Beth only bit her own lip instead of showing any signs of pain. Thankfully, Mori quickly pulled the girl off Beth. Jen began to scream and hold her head in pain as Beth collapsed to the floor on all fours once again.

Jen closed her eyes and continued to scream in pain. When she opened them again, her eyes had changed. They were back to being hazel instead of the vampire blue they had been only moments before.

"What happened?" Jen asked holding her head. "How did we get back?"

Beth's stomach heaved in pain again seconds before blood rolled out of her mouth. It was much less blood than before, seeing as only a little was taken. Mori let go of Jen and then bent down to Beth. The girl was in terrible shape. She was almost paler than Mori. She looked like she was about ready to collapse.

"Do you need some help?" the girl asked the huntress who was breathing heavily once again. Beth only nodded in response, her eyes closed against the pain in her head, shoulders and her gut. Mori grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"I'll get you to your room and then fill Jen in on the rest." Mori said and then turned to Jen. "Stay here."

Mori helped Beth out of the room and into the hall way. Beth leaned heavily on the girl to keep from falling. In all honesty, she could barely remain conscious for much longer. The trip to her room seemed much longer than usual, but they made it nonetheless. Mori helped the girl to sit on her bed and then left the room, shutting the door softly behind her. Beth laid down on her bed and closed her eyes. She was asleep in seconds.

"Mori, what happened to me?" Jen asked the dark girl who had just entered her room.

"You might want to sit down princess." Mori suggested. Jen crawled to the center of her bed and sat cross-legged. She looked up at Mori expectedly with large hazel eyes. Hazel and not ice blue? What had happened when she bit Bethany? Mori had never seen anything like this before in her entire life.

"Jen, back at Dracula's castle, he did something to you." Mori began and mentally prepared herself for when Jen began to freak out. "He bit you."

"What!" the girl screamed as she scrambled back on her bed. Both girls shuddered at the loudness of her voice.

"Ouch." Jen said quietly as she rubbed her ringing ears.

"Vampires have sensitive hearing, remember?" Mori pointed out.

"Oh gosh, what am I going to do? Anna and Van Helsing can't find out! They'd kill me! How do I survive? How did I get out of Dracula's control? Why do I still have my soul? Oh God, no one can help me now!" Jen said frantically and then collapsed on her bed. Violent sobs shook her body as she cried into the sheets below her.

Mori felt terrible for her. She had fought vampires her entire life and now she was one of the monsters she fought. _Poor thing._ Mori thought to herself. _ She must be petrified. Vampires don't hunt down and kill their own kind. I just happen to be the exception to that rule. _

"Jen, I can help you." Mori said moving to stand by the bed.

"How? How can you help me?" Jen demanded as she looked up at Mori, tears still falling from her eyes. Mori took a deep breath and forced herself to say it.

"I'm half."

"What?" Jen asked softly as she sat up. Clearly she didn't fully understand the impact of those two little words.

"I'm half vampire Jen. I was born that way."

"Stop it Mori." Jen said as she collapsed again on the bed. "Stop it."

"What?" Mori had no idea why the girl was acting this way. Did she truly not believe her? Why would she lie about something like this?

"You're just trying to make me feel better." Jen mumbled.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Mori asked her. Jen looked up at her and saw her icy eyes were as hard as stone.

"Oh my…why didn't you tell us?" Jen asked sitting straight up immediately. How could one of her could friends be a vampire without her knowing it? How could she not have known?

"Bethany knows. I used my powers one night in front of her. The brides were attacking and I forgot that she was there." Mori explained calmly. "Can you imagine what Van Helsing or Anna would do to me if they found out?"

"Surely they'd understand. You can't help who your parents are." Jen said, now attempting to make Mori feel better.

"Even when your father is Dracula?"

"He's your father!" Jen exclaimed and then winced because of the damage she had done to her ears.

"Now you see why I always wanted you quiet?" Mori asked the girl. Jen nodded.

"Well, don't worry. You get used to it."

Van Helsing walked into Valerious Manor with Anna and Carl at his side. All of their spirits were low. The girls still were nowhere to be found. After three nights of endless searching there was still nothing to be found.

"What do we do now?" Carl asked.

"We try again tomorrow." Anna replied.

"What are we going to do if we can't find them?" Carl asked.

"Well, let me save you the trouble."

The group looked up to see Mori walking toward them. She had a smirk on her face. She would never admit it to anyone, including herself, but it was good to see them again.

"Mori!" Van Helsing said shocked. "Are you alright? Where is Beth and Jen?"

"I'm fine. Jen is in her room asleep. She's alright too. Bethany is also asleep in her own room. She's the one who needs medical attention." Mori replied glancing at the friar behind the hunter.

"Got it." Carl said and he raced off to Beth's room. Anna then ran off after him and was on her way to Jen's room.

"Where were you three?" Van Helsing asked Mori.

"In the depths of Hell."

Beth slowly opened her eyes and saw that her room was dark. It was still night. She sat up slowly and saw that her head and shoulders had been bandaged. The girl ripped off the head bandages and felt her head. She had completely healed.

"Morning sunshine."

"Hi Mori."

Mori smiled slightly as she stepped out of the shadows. Beth had gotten used to that. After being partners for three years, you learn to expect the unexpected with Mori. However, wouldn't that make the unexpected expected? Oh well, no use in confusing herself just yet.

"How's Jen?" Beth asked.

"Better. She's still a little freaked out, but she's calm enough to listen to what I tell her." Mori replied.

"Well, that's good." Beth replied.

"How are you feeling? You've been out for about two days." Mori asked.

"I feel much better than I did."

"Now, would you mind telling me how you survived that bite? Also, how did Dracula get pulled off of Jen? How come he was thrown away from me and Jen? And also, why did Jen get her soul back after she bit you?"

"You don't waste any time, do you?" Beth said smiling softly at her friend.

"Never do." Mori replied as she crossed her arms and sank into a chair in the corner of a room.

"To be honest Mori, I have absolutely no idea. I do know that I threw Dracula back, somehow. I don't know how I did it, I just did." Beth said.

Mori searched Beth's eyes to see if she was lying or holding anything back. Nothing. She was telling her all she knew.

"Fine. By the way, a package came for you yesterday." Mori said and revealed a small brown box from under her cloak. She tossed it to the young hunter, who caught it. Even in her weakened state, her reflexes were still good. That made her feel a littler better. She wasn't completely useless.

Beth opened the package and pulled out a necklace. The charm on the silver chain was beautiful. It was a sapphire with the profile of an angel in flight embedded in the smooth blue stone. The angel was in diamond. Beth recognized this jewel. But from where?

"Who is that from?" Mori asked. "I don't know anyone who would send you jewelry."

Beth pulled out the letter that came with the jewel.

_Dear Bethany,_

_We found this recently among the few belongings we have of your mother's. We believed that you should have this. Also, we need you to return to the Order as soon as possible. We have something for you._

_Sincerely,_

_Cardinal Jinette_

"It's from the Cardinal. He said it used to be my mom's." Beth said as she shifted to sit on the edge of the bed. She put the jewel on and tucked it under her shirt. _Something for me to do?_ Beth thought to herself. _ That usually means another mission. Great. Just what I need at the moment._

"Your mom's? But she died…"

"A long time ago." Beth said and put her face in her hands. _Oh, mom…_

Mori, sensing the distress Beth was in, quietly left the room to leave the girl to her thoughts. Beth sighed as she looked back down at her hands.

"What is the world coming too?"


	16. At the Order

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Mori walked into Bethany's room and saw that she was packing.

"What are you doing?" Mori asked, confused as ever. Was Beth leaving them? Why? Was something wrong? If so, what?

"The cardinal just sent for me. I'm leaving on the next boat out of here." Beth replied calmly as she put the last thing she needed in her large, black bag.

"You can't leave now!" Mori urged her. "You've had barely even had a day to heal. We still have to kill Dracula."

"I know Mori." Beth responded sounding tired and defeated. The girl was tired of everything. She was tired of the wins, the loses, the missions, the mysteries and the fighting. Beth was tired of this never-ending war. Lord knows she needed a vacation or she might just loose her sanity.

"Don't worry, Mori. I'm coming back."

"What does he want?" Mori asked her as she followed Beth out the door. Beth had her bag flung over her shoulder with her hat low over her large green orbs. She didn't want Mori to see her eyes. Beth felt terrible about leaving them. She didn't want to, but she had no choice. The girl knew this new mission would lead to another and another one after that and then another. In all probability, she wouldn't return here at all.

"I don't know." Beth replied softly.

"Well, be careful. We need you back here." Mori told the girl and then smirked evilly. "I want you to assist me in my father's murder."

Beth smiled at Mori as the two girls left her room and headed down the hallway. She would never change.

"I'm no good to you dead, huh?"

"Nope. You're absolutely useless to me dead." Mori said and looked at Bethany. Mori could have done a double take. For a moment, she could have sworn that Beth was another certain dark monster hunter who was also in the manor.

"Don't kill Jen while I'm gone, alright?" Beth said teasingly.

"I shall resist the urge." Mori replied with almost a smile on her pale lips. The two girls were now at the door. They just looked at each other for a moment before Mori decided to break the silence that hung between them.

"Return as quickly as you can, dear Bethany."

Beth smiled at her.

"Good-bye Mori."

- - -

Beth rode into the Vatican just as the sun rose over the horizon. The journey had been hard and she was relieved to see her destination so close. A boy ran out to greet her. He was seventeen with deep sapphire blue eyes and dark sandy blonde hair that was pulled into a pony tail. He wore brown pants and brown boots with a white poet shirt and a brown coat that fell to his knees.

"Welcome back Beth." he said with a radiant smile after Bethany had jumped off Eclipse and handed the reins to a stable boy.

"Hello Will." Beth replied returning his smile. "Did you miss me much?"

"Terribly."

"Good. Now don't tell me you were out here all night waiting on little old me, now were you?" Beth asked her old friend as the two walked up the steps to the church.

"You wish. I was just testing out a new bullet we developed." he replied holding up a revolver. "It's supposed to leave a clean but gigantic wound in your opponent, therefore weakening them faster."

"Does it work?"

"The gigantic wound part does, but other than that…no."

Beth rolled her eyes at Carl's nephew. Always the scientific book worm. He was also a junior field agent. Unlike his uncle, he went into the field occasionally. In Will's entire career, he had only been out six times. Like his uncle, he preferred to stay at the Vatican with his nice safe books and tinker with the weapons…which were not so safe.

"Did the cardinal send for you?" Will asked as the two entered the church side by side.

"Is there any other reason I'd been here, Will?" Beth asked as she slipped off her black riding gloves and shoved them in her coat. "If he didn't, believe me, I'd still be back in Transylvania."

"Just checking, angel." Will replied using his pet name for Bethany. "I'll meet up with you in the workshop later."

Beth nodded at the boy and then watched him run off down the hall. The girl sighed at him. Same old Will. Always clever and sweet. The teen just hoped he'd stay that way. Even though she didn't want to be here, it was nice to have something…or in this case, someone…who brought her back to a time before she even knew about Dracula. For a moment, things were almost as they were before Beth had left for that godforsaken mission. The youth shook her head and then stepped into her regular confessional before closing the door.

"You called?"

The curtain rose to reveal Cardinal Jinette's face. He almost smiled when he saw the young lady in the confessional next to him.

"How was Transylvania?"

"Terrible, thank you." Beth replied.

"You thought I was kidding when I said we were sending you into Hell?"

"No, that part didn't surprise me one bit." Beth answered. "We still haven't won yet, however."

"Don't worry my child." the cardinal said as he stood up and hit the lever for the wall to rise. "You will destroy him soon."

"What do you have for me?" Beth asked as she followed the man clad in red through the dark halls under the church. She wanted to get straight to the point. The less time she spent here, the sooner she could get back to Transylvania, if she ever would go back.

"It's not like you to call me off a mission." Beth pointed out.

"We found something."

This caught Beth's attention. What did they find? Why was it important? Why did it involve her? The cardinal must have found something pretty dang important to drag her off a mission for it.

"What?" Beth finally asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "What did you find?"

"I will not be able to tell you till tomorrow." Cardinal Jinette replied. "You arrived earlier than we anticipated. Now, go get some food, child. I'm sure you are hungry from your long and tiring journey."

Beth sighed angrily as she watched him walk off. Why did he always have to pick the least convenient times to make her wait? It was so aggravating!

The day went by slowly for Bethany. Every moment here was another moment that she and the others could be discovering how to kill Dracula. That was all she could think about. What was his plan? What did he want to do? How did he expect to gain power? Not knowing any of these answers almost drove the girl to the point of insanity! Also, the fact that she could do nothing about it didn't help much either.

To keep Beth's troubled mind occupied with something else, she spent most of the day with Will and helped him build some new kind of bullet. It was filled with a liquid, but Will refused to tell her what it was. He said it was a secret and that she would find out soon enough.

When the two broke for dinner, they sat together in a large dinning area. The Order had two of these large rooms just for the hunters alone. There were so many people at the Vatican that these dinning area were quite common. Otherwise, one large dinning room that would house everyone would have been bigger than a farm. Beth and Will knew the locations of all the kitchens. This was very handy for midnight snacks, especially when Beth couldn't sleep because of her nightmares.

Beth had grabbed two rolls, and apple and some chicken for her dinner. Will, on the other hand, had piled on the chicken and mashed potatoes. He had so much food that it threatened to come off the plate. He topped his portions off with an apple, which he put on Beth's plate because there was simply no more room on his.

Beth was halfway through her apple when Will said something that almost made her loose her appetite.

"You never did say why the cardinal wanted to see you." Will told her.

"I still don't know, Will." Beth sighed. "He just told me that he found something and that I couldn't see it till tomorrow."

The girl bit into her apple once again as her mind ran through the same questions that she had been holding back all day. Leave it up to Will to bring up something she was trying not to think about.

"How was the last mission?"

And he did it again. Beth responded by glaring at him. Since Will received the glare and had no response from Beth, he tried another subject.

"How are Jen and Mori?"

Again, no reply and an evil glare was shot his way.

"Are you alright, angel?" Will asked her. "You aren't saying much and that glare is beginning to scare me."

"Good." Beth said and then softened. "I'm fine Will. I just…"

The girl stopped when a boy walked up behind Will. The boy was dressed in all black and had dark hair pulled back into a long ponytail. He had on a hat that was pulled down low, hiding his face from sight.

"Will, I need to speak with you." he said. His voice was as smooth as glass and held an accent that was difficult to place.

"Can it wait, Keeran?" Will asked turning to the boy. "Oh, I forgot. Bethany this is Keeran. He joined the Order last week."

"A pleasure, mademoiselle." Keeran said as he took Beth's hand in his own gloved one. The boy gently brushed his lips against the back of her hand. Beth felt very awkward because of this. Will seemed a bit bothered by the motion as well, but his expression of disapproval soon vanished.

"Where are you from Keeran?" Beth asked the new arrival.

"France, Paris to be exact."

"I've had had history with the French. They never liked me much." Beth replied.

"You wanted to see me." Will interrupted the two. "What about?"

"Ah, yes." Keeran said as he remembered his original purpose for seeking out the boy. "Forgive me. I was distracted by your beautiful friend. Would you kindly show me the workshop, Will? I seem to have forgotten where it is."

"Yeah. Do you mind Beth?" Will asked as he turned to the girl.

"Not at all."

Will quickly left with Keeran at his side. Beth had a funny feeling about his new boy. She didn't know why, but something about him just gave the girl shivers.

- - -

Beth tossed and turned in her bed. Her nightmares were ruling her dreams once again. Cold sweat poured down her face. She woke up sitting up in bed and gasping for air. She had just relived the night that Dracula had bitten her. She looked at the clock on her bedside table. It read two thirty in the morning.

A knock on the door caused the girl to jump. Who in their right mind was up at two thirty in the morning…besides Mori?

"One moment." Beth called jumping out of bed. She quickly washed the cold sweat from her face and replaced her thin nightgown with black pants, her black boots, a deep crimson long-sleeved peasant top with a black corset. She ran a brush through her hair and then grabbed the sapphire necklace with the angel on it in her hand before she answered the door.

"Hello, Bethany." Keeran said once she opened the door.

"Is that why you got me up at two thirty in the morning, Keeran? To say hello?" Beth asked throwing on her coat and then stuffed her jewel in one of the outside pockets.

"The cardinal has asked to see you." Keeran told her.

"Thanks." Beth said and quickly pushed past the boy after she shut her door.

Cardinal Jinette was sitting behind his desk when Beth entered the room. He looked up when she entered.

"You called?" Beth asked.

"Beth, what we found…" the cardinal said he stood and came around the desk. "…it's hard for me to say."

"What is it?" the girl asked.

"It's about your past. We found your birth certificate."

Beth froze. Her birth certificate? That would say who her parents were. After years of wondering and dreaming, could she really find out who they were? Was it really that simple? After so long, could the answer finally be in her grasp.

The cardinal handed her an envelope off the desk. It was labeled 'The birth certificate of Bethany V.' Beth looked at it a moment. She pulled the top flap open and then paused. The girl looked back up at the Cardinal.

"Has anyone else seen this?"

Cardinal Jinette shook his head no. Beth then pulled out the precious piece of paper. It said the usual things like name, weight, date of birth, and the things like that. Then is said 'parents'. Beth's green orbs grew wide before she put the piece of paper back in the envelope.

"I have to go." Beth said as she headed for the door, envelope in hand.

"What is it?" the cardinal asked but Beth was already out the door.


	17. Family and the book

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Bethany rested beneath a tree as Eclipse drank from the near by stream. She was only a little away from Vaseria by now. She should arrive within the hour. Beth looked up at the moon and stars above her. She knew night probably wasn't the best time to travel, but the sooner she got back the better. The girl sighed again as she pulled her birth certificate out of the envelope once again.

**Parents**:

Mother: Elise Monroe

Father: Gabriel Van Helsing

Beth sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. So her father never died after all. He just lost his memory. Van Helsing was her father! That had come as a blow when she first found out, but now she had come to terms with it. It was good and bad that she knew this. She now knew where she came from and who her parents were, but if Dracula ever found out…she had to repress a shudder.

Beth slid the paper back into the envelope and looked up at the sky once again. Just then, the shapes of three bats silhouetted against the sky few into her field of vision.

"Shit." Beth swore scrambling up and jumped onto Eclipse's back. The vampires were out.

The teen dug her heels into the horses side and the black hose began to gallop away. Beth ducked below the low branches of the trees that threatened to throw her off her horse. Still, she had a tight grip of the reins. The girl kept her head low close to her horse. If she was fortunate, she wouldn't have to deal with the bats tonight…she hoped. All Beth knew for sure was that she had to get back to the manor as soon as humanly possible. She glanced up once to see the three large bats silhouetted against the sky following her. The girl swore again. This was not good.

Valerious Manor came in sight and Beth kicked Eclipse into a dead sprint. The girl didn't let up till they were in the stables. Beth jumped off her horse and took the saddle off. She then sprinted toward the door of the manor. With any luck, she would have just enough of a head start on the vampires to make it.

Beth was then flung off her feet by a swooping Verona and collapsed on the ground with a thud. Nope, not enough of a head start. Beth pulled out her revolver as she scrambled up and dashed for the door. Aleera lunged at the girl from the side. Beth fired at the bride and hit her in the face as she continued to sprint forward. Aleera screamed in pain as she clawed at her face in an attempt to get the bullet out. Verona tried to get revenge for her sister, but all it earned her was a bullet wound in her gut and one in her shoulder.

Beth stumbled up the steps of the manor, the brides on her heels. Beth turned to reach for the door handle, but stopped dead when she saw Dracula standing there already. She froze in spite of herself.

"Hello Bethany. And where have you been?" he asked. "Oh yes, the Vatican. Tell me, what did the cardinal have to tell you?"

Beth backed up and glanced behind her to see the brides. She was trapped. Dang it! The girl lowered her hat over her eyes to hide the slight fear that they held.

"That's none of your business, is it?" Beth growled at the vampire. She was in no mood for this.

"It is if it has to do with Van Helsing." Dracula replied.

Beth's face remain motionless even though she was cursing in her mind. He knew. How could he? Beth had only been back for only a day and she had the only copy of her birth certificate. Oh, she was in deep trouble. The only thing she could do was try not to panic.

"He's your father, isn't he, Bethany?" Dracula asked as he slithered towards the girl. Beth backed away from him, but stopped a safe distance from the brides. Dracula however, kept moving toward her. Things were not looking up for the teenager.

"Of course he is." Dracula continued. "Do you recognize her now Aleera dear?" Dracula asked, his icy gaze never leaving the teenager before him. "She was the stubborn four year old you had to deal with when you drained Elise dry."

Rage flared up inside Bethany. How dare Dracula speak of her mother! He knew nothing about her! Her fear was immediately forgotten and replaced with disgust and resentment. It was time he got what was coming to him.

"My mother died giving birth to me." Beth growled at them.

"Of course, of course." Dracula said smirking. He was enjoying tormenting the girl and he was making it very clear to her. "That's what everyone lead you to believe. Think about it. They didn't find her body after the fire. They couldn't find any records of her at all. The only thing they were able to find was that slip of paper you have under your coat. What else was everyone supposed to believe?"

Beth closed her eyes a moment and let this sink in. As much as she hated to admit it, Dracula was right. Beth had known her mother, even if it was for a brief time. Otherwise she wouldn't have recognized her voice in her dream. That also meant something else…Aleera had murdered her and tried to do the same to Bethany. The teen knew there was a reason she hated her most of all.

"Still being stubborn, dear?" Dracula asked with a smirk on his face. Beth's eyes snapped open with fire raging in them.

"How's this for stubborn?" Beth asked with venom dripping from every syllable she said. She then pulled out her revolver and sent three shots into his chest before her revolver clicked empty. Her fist then collided roughly with his jaw, sending him to the ground. Beth quickly jumped over the enraged vampire and into the manor. The girl quickly slammed the door shut just as Dracula got to standing position. She locked the door and then strolled calmly down the hallway, pleased with herself for what she had done. Not only had it caused him pain, but she felt better. Beth rounded the corner and stopped when she saw Mori leaning against the wall. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she had a small smirk on her face. Jen was standing behind her, also smirking at Bethany.

"Welcome back, sunshine." Mori told her.

"Good to be back." Beth replied as she reached into her coat and pulled out the envelope. "Where is everyone else?"

"In the hidden library." Jen replied.

"Good." Beth said and began heading that way.

"What has happened?" Mori asked as she and Jen followed the green eyed girl. She could tell something was up by the look in Beth's eyes.

"We have something to discuss."

Beth found everyone in the hidden library just as Jen had said. Anna, Van Helsing, and Carl all looked up when the girls entered. Beth was leading them and they could all tell something was going on by the way she was walking. She had a purpose in her stride that said she had something to do.

"Van Helsing," Beth started as she walked up to him.

"Yes?" he responded.

Beth took off her hat and sighed. How was she going to say this? The teen really hadn't planed that out. She just knew she had to get back…that was about as far as she had gotten. Well, better have him see it first.

"You need to look at this." Beth said handing him the envelope.

"Your birth certificate?" Van Helsing asked reading the back.

"Just look at it." Beth said running her fingers though her hair nervously. What was he going to think? What was he going to say? Would he be glad? Would he think she was kidding? Would he refuse to believe it all together? All the teen could do was hold her breath in anticipation.

The monster hunter looked at Beth and then the envelope in his hands. He opened it and pulled out the piece of paper inside and then quickly read it over.

"Elise…" he mumbled. The name had sparked something in his memory. Elise, he knew an Elise, but from where? Then it hit him. Elise…Eli! His Eli! Elise had been his wife before he lost his memory!

"Aleera killed an Elise about…" Mori began but was cut off by Beth.

"Twelve years ago."

Van Helsing looked further down of the page and saw it. Bethany was his daughter! Memories flooded back into his mind. The day he married Elise, the day Bethany was born, playing with Beth when she was little and many other things that had long been forgotten. The monster hunter looked down at Bethany. Those eyes, they belonged to Elise. That's why he recognized them!

"What?" Carl asked, wondering what was going on and why the face of his friend had gotten a shocked look on it. Van Helsing simply handed the friar the piece of paper. His jaw dropped from astonishment. "Bethany is your daughter!"

"What!" Jen, Mori and Anna exclaimed in unison. The three females then gathered around the friar to see if it was really true. There it was in black and white. Gabriel was her father.

"Oh, Beth." Van Helsing said and then swept the girl up into a hug. "I'm so sorry Beth. I'm so sorry I left you." he whispered into her ear.

Beth relaxed and had to fight not to cry. He was glad! She had found what she was looking for all these long twelve years. She found her father. She found her family, and it was right under her nose this entire time.

"There's one more thing." Beth said after the two pulled out of the hug. Her face fell from happiness to a look of worry and concern.

"What?" Mori asked, almost fearing the answer.

"Dracula knows."

"How!" Van Helsing asked.

"I don't know. He knew I left to go see the cardinal. He knew also when I got back. He must have a spy in the Vatican." Beth said.

"That would be a reasonable explanation…" Mori said and then glanced at the monster hunter. "but he is your father?"

Beth gave her a look that said 'it's a lot better than having _your_ father.' Mori held up her hands to say 'point taken.'

"I didn't know the left hand of God could have children." Carl mumbled.

"What?" Mori asked sharply turning to the friar. If he said what she thought he said…

"What did you say Carl?" Beth asked in a much calmer fashion so as not to startle the little friar.

"I just said that I didn't know the left hand of God could have children." Carl shrugged.

"You're the what!" Beth asked as she turned to her father, confusion written all over her face.

"I was just about to tell you that part." Van Helsing replied before he shot an angry look at Carl. Just then, the light bulb went on in Mori's head.

"Bethany!" the girl said and ran to her side. "It all makes sense!"

"What makes sense?" Beth asked her.

"How you survived! The prophecy! The little light incident!"

Beth was a little on edge. She hadn't seen Mori this excited since…never. It was almost frightening.

"Mori, what?"

"You are half angel."

"Mori that's…" Beth started disbelievingly. She couldn't be! But if she was…

"Listen to me Bethany." Mori interrupted the girl. "The left hand of God is an angel. I know it's hard to picture Van Helsing as an angel, but it's true. He killed Dracula back in the fourteen hundreds. The happenings that have been going on are a result of your angel and human blood combination. Your nightmares, you glowing, stuff flying around your room at night…"

"Stuff flies around my room at night?" Beth asked.

"I'm an insomniac, Bethany, remember?"

"Point. Continue."

"Thank you." Mori replied. "You are a half blood. That's means you have a hand in destroying Dracula."

"Now all we have to do is find the other half blood." Anna said.

"Like that will be easy." Carl mumbled. Beth and Mori then glanced at each other. If only he knew.

- - -

Beth sat in her room early the next morning. It was about three in the morning and most everyone in the manor had gone to bed. At least, that's what she thought till she heard movement in the hall. Beth's curiosity drove her to get up and open the door to see Mori about four feet away from her door.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked in whisper. She didn't want to wake anyone else up.

"Nowhere." Mori said as she whirled around.

"Yeah, sure. You going nowhere right now is like you being innocent." Beth told her. Mori looked at Beth a moment to say 'go away', but Beth stayed firmly planted to the ground. Mori contemplated not explaining to her, but decided against it.

"We need the Immortalis Chronicles." Mori replied.

"You were going to go get it!" Beth exclaimed as quietly as possible. "It's in Castle Dracula! It's suicide!"

"You went in for me." Mori said.

"You are a person. This is a book." Beth pointed out. "I'm not willing to die for a book."

"Listen, I know the layout of the castle and I know where the library is. All I have to do is sneak in, get the book, and get out before anyone notices." Mori explained calmly.

"Anyone being Dracula, Verona and Aleera." Beth said.

"Yes, well, that's why I have to do it silently. That way, with any luck, they won't notice." Mori said and turned to leave.

"I'm coming with you." Beth said quickly catching up to Mori.

"Oh no." Mori said and stopped in the middle of the hallway so she could face the young huntress. "You are not coming. You almost died once."

"And I can stand to do it again." Beth replied matter-of-factly.

"No." Mori told her firmly.

"Yes." Beth answered. She wasn't about to let Mori go on a suicide mission alone.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"You are the most stubborn person I have ever met." Mori told Beth.

"Thank you. I pride myself on that fact." the teenager told her friend as she smirked.

Mori sighed in aggravation. She was not getting rid of this girl. She couldn't take her with her. It only ran a greater risk of being discovered. Then again…this was Bethany. She would never forgive her if she went alone…This was going against all her better judgment.

"Just do whatever I say quickly and without question. Got it?" Mori said pointing and ungloved finger at Beth's face. The brown haired girl smiled and nodded.

The two made it to the armory without waking anyone in the house and slipped through the mirror. Castle Dracula loomed before them in the darkness.

"The library is in that tower." Mori said as she nodded to the south tower of the terrifying castle. "C'mon."

Beth followed Mori to the base of the tower. Mori saw Beth look up to see the top of the tower. The look on her face showed her discouragement in the situation at hand.

"It's about thirty or so stories." Mori said. "The library is on the twenty seventh."

"Naturally." Beth said not sounding exactly thrilled at this news. "Everything you need to get is always high up."

"Well, you come to expect it." Mori sighed.

"How do you suggest we get up there?" Beth asked. Mori turned to her friend to see the questioning look on her face.

"You aren't afraid of heights, are you?" Mori asked.

"No."

"Good. We are going up."

"How?"

Mori rolled her eyes and then rested them on Bethany. "Would you rather take the front door?"

"How do we get up there?"

"Hang on."

Before Beth knew what was happening, Mori had grabbed onto her coat collar and jumped onto the ice-covered wall of the tower. With two more mighty jumps, they had flew through the open window and landed softly in the library.

_Forgot about that._ Beth thought to herself.

_Most people do Bethany._

Beth jumped when she heard the girl's voice inside her head and turned to see Mori looking at her. The dark teenager had a smirk on her face. Apparently she was amused by the confused look on her face. Beth finally understood. Mori had mind-linked her. The young Van Helsing then rolled her eyes at her friend.

_Don't do that. It's just creepy._ Beth formed in her mind.

_Only when I have to dear Bethany._ Mori answered. _Now find that book._

The girls began to go through book after book, shelf after shelf. They found nothing. They couldn't find the book at all. The process was slow and tedious however, and Beth wished that there was a way to make it go faster. The last thing she wanted was to get caught. She was on full alert because of this worry.

Mori suddenly froze in place. Beth saw this and did the same. Did she hear someone coming? The girl strained her ears for any noise. Sure enough, footsteps were heading toward them. Beth looked over to Mori with a look that asked 'what do we do?'.

Mori quickly looked around the room and found no place for the girls to hide. She walked as quietly and as quickly as possible over to Beth and put and arm around her shoulders. Beth felt herself fall up and flip over. When she finally understood all this, she realized that Mori was standing on the ceiling of the library and was holding Beth up there as well.

_Those powers come in handy._ Beth thought.

_One of the very few perks of being half vampire._ Mori replied. _You are a wonderful spy._

Beth then looked down to see Dracula enter the room. He was carrying something under his arm. It was a book. Beth suspected that the book he carried was the same book that she and Mori had been looking for.

Dracula set the book down on a table and then left the room. The girls held their breath till long after the click of his boots had died away. Mori then let go of Bethany. The girl fought not to scream at the sudden sensation of falling. She landed softly on one of the many sofas in the room. Beth glared at Mori, who had just appeared before her. Her friend just gave her a playful smirk. Beth got up and moved over to where Dracula had laid down the book.

The book was bound in brown leather with crisp yellow pages on the inside. On the front cover, embedded in gold into the worn leather were the words _The Immortalis Chronicles_. They had found it! Almost the instant Beth had picked up the book, the girls heard someone approaching again. The young huntress looked at Mori, who motioned to the window. Beth nodded and the two moved toward the window. The half vampire wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders and the two jumped out the window.

The air rushed past them, stinging their exposed skin because of how cold it was. Beth saw the ground fly towards them. She closed her eyes in anticipation. A few moments later, she had landed softly on her feet. Beth looked over at Mori, who was just smirking.

"Well, that was handy." Beth said looking at the book in her hands.

Mori was about to reply when an angry voice from above caught their attention.

"Morianalynn!"

Mori smiled slightly at hearing how infuriated her father was. Knowing that she had caused this made her feeling all the more enjoyable.

"Alright, let's go." Mori said cheery enough. Beth laughed slightly before following her friend back to the manor.


	18. secrets revealed

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Bethany sat with Jen and Mori in the kitchen. Mori and Jen were talking to Beth while she was busy shoveling some mashed potatoes down her throat.

"I feel a little weird." Jen said.

"How's that?" Mori asked her.

"Just a little light headed, that's all."

Beth and Mori looked at each other. They both knew what was wrong with Jen. She needed to feed.

"Do you…"

"Green bottle in the very back of the fourth cabinet to the left on the ground." Beth interrupted Mori. She already knew what the question was.

"Thanks. Hold her down." Mori said getting up as she went to fetch the bottle.

"Like I'd be able too." Beth mumbled.

"My mom had to hold me down to get me to do it." Mori shouted over her shoulder.

"Alright."

"Hold me down for what?" Jen asked.

"Jen, remember how you're a vampire now?" Beth started. Jen's eyes widened as she realized what her friends meant.

"Oh no!" she said.

"Oh yes." Mori replied as she returned with a glass full of the red liquid.

"You can't make me." Jen said.

"It's either this or die." Mori pointed out.

"Death sounds pretty good to me right now." Jen replied.

"I could do that if you want." Mori told her smirking. Jen immediately backed off. "Just drink it."

Mori set the glass in front of her and Jen looked at it questioningly.

"Where did this come from?" Jen asked them.

"Bethany was the one who got it, princess." Mori turning to gaze to the girl at the other end of the table.

"Pig." Beth answered quickly as the memory of how she got that information ran through her mind.

"Not human?" Jen asked.

"Not human."

"Can I survive off animal blood?" Jen asked.

"According to Dracula you can." Beth mumbled under her breath as she took a drink of her own water. She smiled slightly at him being so stupid.

"What was that?" Mori asked her.

"Nothing, Mori. You must be hearing voices again." Beth replied.

"Uh-huh, sure." Mori said, not really believing her friend.

Jen picked up the glass and slowly raised it to her lips. She took a small sip and waited a moment as it slid down her throat. Mori watched her as a second later, Jen drained the glass immediately.

"First one's always the hardest, princess." Mori said removing the glass as Jen wiped the remainder of blood off her lips with her hand. Beth just rolled her eyes at the two.

"You would've had to do it sometime, Hun." Beth told Jen.

"I just didn't expect it to be that…"

"Invigorating?" Mori suggested.

"Well, yes."

"You get used to that too." Mori said dryly as she sank back into her seat next to Bethany.

"I'll get used to you two talk about it too." Beth said shaking her head. It still was weird, after everything, to hear her two friends talking about drinking blood. Mori and Jen just smirked at her. Beth saw that they had almost the same look on both of their faces. She just raised one eyebrow.

"Jen, you need to spend less time with Mori." Beth told her. Jen just laughed.

"Are you saying I'm a bad influence on her?" Mori asked playfully.

"I'm just saying that you are an influence. I haven't decided if it's a good influence or not…"

Jen then laughed again but stopped when Carl ran into the room.

"Girls…we…have…a…problem…" Carl said between gasps.

"What is it?" Mori asked him as all three girls stood up.

"Dracula…"

All three girls raced out of the room before Carl even finished.

"Wait!" Carl called as he ran after them. "Oh great, more running."

- - -

Carl lead the girls to where he left Van Helsing and Anna. They had been ambushed by the vampires and Van Helsing had told Carl to go get help. The little friar ran like heck back to the manor to get the girls. Now they were all running back into the fire.

As they were getting close, Mori grabbed Beth's arm and held her back.

"It's a trap." Mori whispered to her. "Jen!"

It was too late. Jen and Carl had already gone through the bushes into the clearing. The half vampire and half angel then heard their screams. Beth tried to move, but Mori still held her firmly in place.

"Stay here." Mori said and then vanished into the clearing before Beth could protest. If Mori would have let her, she would have.

Beth heard the sounds of a fight, but still didn't move. She feared that she would give away her presence. She didn't move till she heard Mori moan in pain. Beth moved to the edge of the brush and looked though. Dracula held Mori up against a tree by her neck. Everyone else was trapped in some sort of cage like contraption. It looked like a cage, so Beth concluded that the brides had carried it here.

"Leave her alone!" Jen shouted at him. She was the only one not in the cage. No doubt that it was because of her newly acquired vampire powers. Verona was holding her back.

"Do you honestly think I'll hurt her, Jennifer?" Dracula asked eyeing the teenager he held in his grasp.

"I can't wait till I get to rip you to pieces." Mori growled at him.

"Now dear Morianalynn, is that anyway to speak to me?" the vampire cooed.

"Yes." Was her reply. "I could say what I _really_ think if you want me too."

"You mean we have time for that _entire_ list?" Jen asked.

"Shut-up." Verona said shaking Jen.

"Thank you Verona." Dracula asked.

Beth had to fight not to shoot the crud out of him right now. That exactly wasn't the best idea at the moment. Then her position would have been given away. She still had the element of surprise on her side. Plus, she could hit Mori instead of him.

"Now that I finally have the undivided attention of all of you, I shall tell you Morianalynn's little secret." Dracula said smirking at her. Mori's eyes widened at this, but he continued before she could stop him.

"She is my daughter."

Beth glared evilly at the man. He would pay dearly for all this…she just had to wait for the right time.

"You son of a bitch!" Mori growled at him. She was going to kill him when she got the chance, which she prayed would be _very_ soon.

"Now where is Bethany?" Dracula continued. "She must have abandoned you. Well, this doesn't surprise me at all. Gabriel, she is just like you. She left everyone she loved to die."

Pure rage flared up inside Bethany. How dare he! He had mocked her, her family, ripped her family apart and put Mori and Jen though hell. She couldn't stand him any longer. No more miss nice angel.

"Is that so?" Beth asked as she revealed herself, her eyes filled with emerald fire. "If I had left I couldn't do this."

Beth flung out her arm and a beam of white light shot out of her palm. The light hit Dracula hard and flung him off Mori. She immediately fell to the ground. The young huntress ran over to her and knelt down.

"You alright?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, but Dracula won't be."

Beth was then stuck by Aleera. The girl flew about five feet in the air before she landed and slid another seven feet.

"You troublesome child. I should have killed you when I had the chance." Aleera hissed.

"And why didn't you? It was probably because I could even outsmart you when I was four." Beth replied.

Aleera dove for her again in pure rage. Beth rolled out of the way and pulled out one of her pistols. She shot at the bride and hit her right in the eye. As she screamed in agony, Beth bolted toward the cage where everyone was locked. She aimed for the lock, but missed when Verona punched her in the jaw. The huntress was sent to the ground with a bloody lip. She kicked herself back up again and faced off with the bride. Beth flung her arms outward and tojo blades slid into her hands. They spun to life as she charged at the dark haired vampire.

Verona knocked her back, sending the blades flying through the air. Beth swore under her breath and tried to get up, but found that the vampire's grip held her to the earth below her.

"Any last words?" Verona asked her.

"Go to hell." Beth said and her emerald eyes changed to glowing pure white. Faster than any mortal could manage, Beth flung out her right wrist and a silver stake slid into her hand. The glowing light shifted from her eyes to the stake right before she shoved it into Verona's heart.

She reeled back screaming and clawing at her chest. In a matter of moments, Verona was a pile of dust and the remaining two vampires flew off screaming in grief.

"Whoa…" Jen stated as Beth pushed herself up.

"I'll get you guys out of here." Mori said as she moved toward where the others were being held.

"You are his daughter!" Van Helsing almost roared at her. Carl scrambled to the back of the cage to get away from Mori. All Anna could do was just look at her. Hurt flashed in Mori's eyes before her hard outer-shell replaced itself again.

"On second thought, I should just leave you in there." Mori replied coldly.

"Mori!" Beth half scolded her. The young huntress then caught the look that the dark girl was giving her. It almost made her back up to keep away from her. It was so full of hate and hurting that it even hurt Beth to receive it.

"Don't be that way Mori." Jen said as she moved to stand next to Beth.

"I'm not going to let them out till they listen to me." Mori replied. "They'd probably kill me before I said anything otherwise."

"Why shouldn't we?" Van Helsing snapped back.

Those words cut Mori in half. After all the danger she's gone though with them…finally the truth comes out.

"Don't you dare say that to her!" Beth roared at him.

"How many people have you killed?" Van Helsing asked Mori, ignoring Beth's remark. Mori just froze in place at this. Beth saw sadness flash in Mori's eyes again.

"Just one." Mori replied softly. She then turned on her heel and marched off.

"Mori wait!"

"Don't you dare follow me Bethany." Mori told her and then vanished.

"Well, that went well." Jen said trying to lighten the mood.

"According to who?" Beth replied. She looked to where Mori had run off to. "I'm going after her."

Jen grabbed her arm to stop the girl from moving. "Give her some time, Beth. She needs it."

"Fine." Bethany said yanking her arm from Jen's grasp. She then turned to where the cage was. "We better get you guys out."

Beth shot off the lock and pulled open the door. When Van Helsing passed her, she jammed her fist in his stomach. The hunter hunched over in pain as the wind was knocked from his diaphragm.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"What do you think!" Bethany roared at him. She was furious, maybe even as much as Mori. He had no right to make her feel terrible. She couldn't help who her family was no matter how much she disliked him.

"Do you know what she's done for me! Just because she is Dracula's child doesn't mean that she deserves to be killed! She has a soul! She isn't evil! If she was, I would've sensed it the second after we met!"

"You can do that?" Carl asked.

"Shut-up Carl!" Bethany shouted at him before her rage was focused on Van Helsing once again. "Mori has been fighting against her father her entire life and now, when she finally has a chance to end it all, you go and do something like…like that! Do you even know who she killed! Marishka! People can't help who they are related too!

Beth was in tears now. They were streaming down her face even though nothing but wrath. The girl turned away from him to calm herself. She could feel her power rising up in her. She didn't want to blow Van Helsing up, no matter how good the idea sounded at the time.

"Mori is a good person, despite the blood that runs through her veins." She said only this time in a quiet tone. "I thought you would understand that."

"Beth, she is a vampire." Van Helsing tried to reason with her.

"Half, she's only half." Beth said whirling around to face him. "Honestly, some days I just wish I had never met you!"

Beth bolted away from them. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. Just away. She wanted to be gone from this place. Beth wished all this was all over, or at least she was normal. No vampires, no monsters, no Dracula…no father. She craved solitude. The girl prayed for something steady in her turbulent life.

She wasn't at all surprised when she found her feet had carried her to the town's small church. Bethany let herself in and found she was the only one in there. Good, solitude. She sat down right in the center of the first row pew and stared at the large cross at the front of the church.

"Why is life so hard?" she asked aloud. "Why are people so stuck in the ideas of right and wrong and what they know? Why can't they just believe?"

Beth sat there mulling the questions over in her head. Was she really questioning Van Helsing's actions or was she questioning her own? Why didn't she stop Dracula sooner? She could have…at least she thought she could have. Was she really waiting for the right time or was she just waiting for Dracula to tell everyone Mori's secret? Did she just not want to keep it anymore? Or was it more than that? Was she scared? After all this time, was she scared of doing what she had been sent here to do in the first place?

Beth's head jerked around when she heard a scream outside the door. She jumped up and ran down the long aisle way. She flung open the door to see a werewolf, who had Jen pinned to the ground. However, that was not the reason that she was screaming. A beam of sunlight had just hit Jen's hand and it was sizzling the flesh off her bone.

"Jen!" Beth said as she pulled out her revolver. "Don't move!"

The teen fired and hit the wolf in the shoulder. It howled in agony and flew into the nearby woods. Jen was now fully exposed to the sun's beams and she was screaming in pain. Beth flung off her coat and laid it over her friend. She had to think fast and had very little time to do it in. Who knew how long Jen would last under that layer of dark leather.

"Jen, c'mon." Beth said pulling her to her feet. She put an arm around Jen and guided her into the church as fast as she could. Beth slammed the door shut and didn't stop running till she hit an empty back room. She knew, since Jen was a vampire after all, that her friend wouldn't be able to stand that gigantic cross in the main chapel.

Beth pulled her coat off of the girl and had to fight not to flinch. Jen looked horrible. The right half of her face was badly burned along with both of her hands. Part of her hair had shrunk back, giving her a very uneven hairline.

"That bad huh?" Jen asked, her hazel eyes cast on the ground.

"It's not that bad." Beth replied, mostly lying.

"We're in a church right?"

"Yeah."

"Then stop lying."

"Alright then." Beth said now planning to be brutally honest. "You look like something that the cat spit up, ate, and then spit up again."

"You didn't have to be _that_ honest." Jen told her.

"You asked for it." Beth said and then moved toward her friend. "Let me see your hands."

Jen held them out and saw the damage that the sun had done to her. Her face fell into an expression of 'this is not good'. Seeing her hands made her realize why they stung so much.

"Emm…" Beth bit her lower lip. "Well, Jen, since you're a vampire it _will_ heal faster. It still needs bandages however."

Beth then looked at Jen's bloody palms and knuckles. "_A lot_ of bandages."

"I forgot about…" Jen started off quietly but quickly trailed off.

Beth looked up at Jen and saw sadness in her eyes. She completely understood. Jen didn't want to be an immortal being anymore than she or Mori did. Jen was different than them for one reason. She had physical limitations that she couldn't control.

"You'll remember next time. If you don't, you'll be dead." Beth told her calmly.

"Sounds like a pretty good option to me." Jen mumbled.

"Don't say that Jen. You have a soul. You have a life. Not everyone has that, especially in this business. You should use them to their fullest." Beth half scolded her as she began looking around the room for something to use as bandages.

"Why do you say that?" Jen asked.

"I know you all to well Jen. You're far to kind to be soul-less."

Jen smiled slightly as Beth motioned for her to sit in a chair. She did so and Beth came toward her with bandages and a bottle of whiskey in hand. They were hidden in a cupboard in the corner of the room. The teen had noticed that Jen's injuries had already begun to heal, but only slightly. Beth just dressed her wound and then leaned back to inspect her work. It would pass, for now.

"Now, would you care to tell me why you were out anyway?" Beth inquired.

"Is this an interrogation?"

"It can be."

"I came looking for you."

"You of all people, Jen, should know that I can take care of myself." Beth told her.

"That still doesn't stop me from worrying about you." Jen said.

Beth just smiled at the young Valerious.

"Thanks Jen. I needed that."


	19. Van Helsings fight

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Mori stood on the rocky bank as she threw stones into the river, each one making a very loud splash once they hit the surface from the force at which she was throwing them.

"How dare he!" she roared. "He has no idea what hell my life has been!"

Her black cloak had been discarded along with the knee-length, black jacket that was usually closed underneath it. They were lying on the rocks nearby. She couldn't throw as well with them on.

If anyone were to accidentally happen upon her, they would be able to see that this was a very angry girl. Mori's ink black hair was falling out of her braid. She had been ranting for the past half hour or so. She didn't show any signs of stopping anytime soon.

"Van Helsing shouldn't be a hunter! He's far to pompous for his own good! It's a wonder that he's not dead yet! Does he think I _want_ to be Dracula's daughter! Does he! I'll have him know that it's no tromp through the daisies!"

Mori threw a rock as hard as she could. The stone flew over the river and shattered into a million pieces upon hitting the cliff face on the other side of the water. At seeing this, the girl sighed heavily. She couldn't break out of this endless nightmare! There was always something, either her senses or physical abilities, to remind her of her father, her family, her past or the freak that she was! There was no escaping this torture!

Mori collapsed on her cloak and coat that was laid out on the ground. She was so tired of this. The only people who really accepted her were Bethany and Jennifer, but now she couldn't even see them. She had Mr. big, dark and pompous to thank for that.

Mori was on her own…again.

The half vampire sighed heavily at this thought. It wasn't like she couldn't do it. She had flown solo for most of her life. Why did it make any difference if she had to do it again? Plus, she knew this day would come. She knew that there would eventually be a day where she would be forced to leave her friends. It was better off this way. Now, Dracula was only _her_ problem and she had nothing left to loose. Bethany and Jen could be spared…mostly. Jen had already been changed for all eternity. Lord knows that Bethany wouldn't be far behind her. Still, why did Mori feel like she had to go back?

"No, I'm not going back." Mori said to herself. "Then again, they do have my books."

The girl shook her head out. What was she thinking? No, she wouldn't go back.

"I can't." she said. "I'm not going back and that's final…but I will have to reload sometime."

Mori sighed angrily at her indecisiveness and laid back on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sun rise over the trees. It was going to be a long…_long_ day.

- - -

"We're home!" Jen called once she and Beth walked into Valerious Manor about an hour after sunset.

"Could you be a litter louder, princess?" Beth asked. "I don't think they heard you in China!"

"Very funny, Beth."

"Thank you. I'm no Mori, but I try."

Obviously, Beth was not in a good mood. No one really would be after their father drove off their best friend and their other friend was almost killed by sunlight. The girl had to swallow a moan when she saw Van Helsing round the corner to meet them.

"Where have you been!" he demanded.

"At church." Bethany replied, trying to keep her voice steady and calm.

"Do you know how dangerous it was to go off on your own and look for that vampire!" Van Helsing almost shouted.

"Her _name_ is Mori and you know it! Don't you dare tell me that I shouldn't have looked for her, which I didn't!" Beth said raising her voice to match his. "She is and always will be my friend whether you like it or not."

"She's a vampire, Bethany! Dracula's daughter!"

"She's only half! Plus, do you think _you_ can pick your family!" Beth argued.

"Don't use that tone with me!"

"I'll use whatever tone I want to." Bethany growled at her father.

"I am your father…"

"Then where were you when I was four!" Beth demanded. Silence hung between the two for a long while. It was a thick and hate filled silence, making Jen feel _very _uncomfortable.

"Beth," Van Helsing began in a controlled tone, though it was clear that he was fighting not to raise his voice. "you don't seem to understand the situation."

"Neither do you." Beth replied. Her voice was calm and betrayed the anger that was flaring up within her. "Mori is my friend and _not_ evil. She has a soul and has saved my life many a time. She has gone to hell and back for me and I would do the same for her. I won't abandon her so lightly and I will defend her till the day I die. If you can't accept that, then that's your problem. But don't you dare tell me that I can't be friends with her, because I have some news for you. It's a little late for that."

"Mori is a vampire and is something that must be taken care of." Van Helsing said.

"No, she's not. You know it."

"The Order would have me kill her immediately."

"Forget the Order. If I recall, you never really followed their orders before. Anyway, who said they were going to find out. Mori has been keeping this secret her entire life. It's not like she's just going to let it slip." Beth retorted.

"She's probably a spy for Dracula."

"That is like saying Jen would murder someone for the fun of it. It's not going to happen…_ever_. Mori _hates_ her father. He has put her through hell and then you go and tell her that you're going to murder her just for being what she is. She has enough on her plate without one of her partners threatening to murder her."

"It's all a trick, Beth." Van Helsing interrupted.

"How do you know that it is one?"

"How do you know that it's not?"

Van Helsing and Beth sat there glaring at each other for quite some time. Both were oblivious to the fact that Carl and Anna had been watching their verbal fight along with Jen. At the moment, Beth didn't care who saw. He had no right to make Mori feel like an abomination. She had proven herself to be a good person and Beth didn't care who she had to argue with to prove it.

"Beth, next time Mori sees you, she'll probably try to kill you." Van Helsing said.

"Don't say that about Mori. She's more honorable than you give her credit for." Beth said, her eyes welling up with tears by now.

"And how do you know that?" Van Helsing demanded, raising his voice again.

"You don't know her like I do!" Bethany said, again, raising her voice to match his.

"Who does know her like you do? Huh?" Van Helsing shouted. "No one! That's who! You only saw the part of Mori that she wanted you to see! She's evil!"

"NO SHE ISN'T!" Beth exploded. The dam that she had built to hold her anger back had broken. There was no stopping it now. "If she was, I would have sensed it the second I met her and so would you have! If she really was evil and soul-less, she would have killed us ALREADY! Don't you get it, _Van Helsing_, she _wants_ to be human! She _wants_ to do good! SHE WANTS TO MURDER DRACULA! MORI IS A GOOD PERSON AND NOTHING YOU CAN SAY WILL CHANGE MY MIND!"

Bethany quickly pushed past him, Carl and Anna before he could reply. She angrily wiped the tears off her face. Oh, curse this weakness!

"Honestly, some days I wish I never met you." The girl said, her voice full of the same sadness and hurt that was currently streaming down from her eyes.

Beth ran down to the armory, where she slammed the door shut, collapsed in a chair and began to sob. She cried until she had no more tears left inside her. Why did this fight hurt so much? Why couldn't he just understand? Why hadn't she stopped Dracula before he told? Oh gosh, all this was her fault.

"It's all my fault." She whispered. It was her fault that Mori was gone; it was her fault that everyone knew Mori's secret; it was her fault that she fought with Van Helsing and there was nothing she could do to fix it.

"Heaven help me." Beth prayed almost silently. Alone in the armory, curled up in a chair, Bethany fell a sleep.

- - -

Mori saw the sun set in the distance. After a hard day of fuming and thinking, her mind was finally made up. She slowly stood, her coat in hand. The girl slid it on and buttoned it up before she slipped her cloak over her shoulders.

With a heavy sigh, she looked into the river at her reflection.

Her hair was a mess, but other than that, she looked normal. Mori pulled out her dagger, the sun gleaming on the edge of the blade. Time to do something just a little bit drastic.

- - -

Bethany woke up in the middle of the night when she heard a noise in the back of the armory. She jumped up immediately and pulled her revolver out of her coat. The young huntress slowly moved toward the back of the large room. What she found was a window slamming shut repeatedly against it's frame.

Beth sighed heavily, relieved that it was only a window, and shut it. Only then did she see that the glass had been shattered. Suddenly, her hand that held her revolver was painfully twisted behind her back. She was then pulled into her captor even though she struggled as much as she could.

"Drop the gun." Was whispered into her ear. Fury rose inside Beth at hearing Dracula's voice.

"No." Beth replied.

"Fine." He said. The vampire then shoved Bethany forward. Her momentum sent her crashing through the already broken window and she was sent flying toward the ground. Beth closed her eyes and waited. She never hit the ground. Instead, Dracula had caught her in his arms.

"You are coming with me." Dracula told her as he placed her over his shoulder.

"What if I don't want to?" Beth defied as she wiggled to try and escape his grip. It wasn't working.

"You don't have a choice the way I see it, Bethany." Dracula replied pushing down, causing Beth's stomach to slam into his shoulder. All the wind rushed from her lungs, leaving the teenager coughing. His pressure didn't let up at all as he carried her away.

Little did either of them know, but they were being watched by a swift and silent shadow. The shadow suspected where they were going and decided to beat them there.


	20. Mori's Return

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

Dracula dropped Bethany in the gigantic entrance of Castle Dracula. Her body hit the ground with a thud and Beth desperately gasped for air. She believed that he had made the journey here as long as possible just to make sure that Beth was suffocating for the longest amount of time he could manage. But why hasn't he killed her yet? Why just take her captive instead of murdering her on the spot? What did he want now?

"Now my dear," Dracula began. "where is Morianalynn?"

And there it was. He wasn't going to be happy when he found out that she wanted to know the same thing. Mori had been gone for a day. She was probably on a ship on her way back to the Vatican by now. To far away. She out of his reach.

"I don't know." Beth replied still trying to catch her breath.

"Don't play stupid, child." Dracula said pulling her to her feet roughly. Beth tottered a bit before she got her feet under her. "Of course you know. You and my daughter are inseparable."

"Hate to break it to you, bat brain, but I'm telling the truth." Beth told him. Dracula, enraged, grabbed Beth's shirt and held her up. "Mori vanished yesterday. She's most likely on her way back to Rome by now."

"I refuse to accept that fact. You are lying."

"What makes you say that?" Beth asked teasing him. Her goal was to annoy him as much as she could without endangering her life. However, being in the same village with Dracula was life endangering. Might as well annoy him to no end anyway. It's what Mori would want and frankly, Bethany was enjoying it.

"I can just tell." Dracula replied. "You wouldn't die so soon if you told the truth. However, if she had joined me in the first place, you wouldn't be in this predicament."

They were interrupted by a feminine, amused laugh that echoed around them. The two people looked up to see where it came from. The voice echoed so much that it seemed to come from the very stone around them. Finally, it died away.

"Nice try. You were doing well for a while there." resounded a voice. It took Beth only seconds to place it. The voice was Mori's! She had laughed! This was new! Mori didn't even _smile_, let alone laugh.

"Am I insane or did you hear that to?" the teenager asked the vampire who was holding her captive.

"You're asking _him_ that, Bethany?" Mori's voice reverberated.

"No." Dracula just replied, his gaze still toward the ceiling. "Come out, come out where-ever you are."

"Did you _really_ think I'd fall for that?" Mori asked slightly laughing in enjoyment. "My gosh, how I've over estimated your intelligence."

"Stop playing games with your friend's life, Morianalynn." Dracula said now with his eyes searching around the room. "If you don't come out, I'll kill her."

Dracula waited a moment with no response except dead silence that filled the room. In a flash, he had the young huntress by the throat. Bethany choked as he compressed her windpipe. She couldn't breathe! She knew Mori would do something. If she didn't…Bethany would be dead soon. Suddenly, Dracula dropped Beth to the floor. The teen rolled onto all fours gasping for much needed air. She didn't get it. Why hadn't he killed her? Did he have another use for her?

"If you were here, you would've done something." Dracula said.

"May…be." Mori's voice replied sounding like a small child.

"This is nothing but a trick." Dracula said and rolled his eyes.

"Don't make faces!" Mori instructed loudly. Dracula jumped visibly and Beth gave a short scream of surprise. How did she do that! Mori's laugh then surrounded them once again.

"Okay, this is getting _really_ creepy." Beth mumbled to herself.

"Have I played with you long enough?" Mori's voice teased.

"You are not here, Morianalynn. I don't know how you pulled off that little trick, but Bethany is done for because of it." Dracula said, his annoyance and anger showing in his voice.

"Think what you want." Mori's voice replied, sounding like she really didn't care at all.

"You vanished, Morianalynn. You left your friends. What else am I supposed to believe?" Dracula asked.

Unexpectedly, a swirl of black landed in front of Bethany between her and the infamous vampire. It was Mori! She looked fine, but her hair was _much_ shorter. Now it fell about an inch above her shoulders. Dracula turned to see his daughter. Mori was smiling widely. Clearly, she had been enjoying herself.

"I've been away for a day or two getting to know myself, and you know what I concluded?" Mori asked cheerfully enough.

"What?" her father asked. Mori's face then rapidly changed from calm to extreme anger.

"You _really_ piss me off!" she said, venom dripping from her words.

To Beth's surprise, Dracula just bowed and then vanished from sight. After a moment of silence, Mori walked toward Bethany.

"You alright?" Mori asked her as she helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, you?"

"I will be." Mori replied. She was clearly still angry. This was something Beth wasn't quite used to. Mori was usually so calm. Now, seeing her with sever emotion swings, she wasn't quite sure how to react.

"Lucky you where here, huh?" Beth said as the two friends moved toward the door.

"It wasn't really luck." Mori replied. "I'd been following him for the entire night."

"Why?" Beth asked. Silence was her only response. It then dawned on Beth what Mori was going to attempt. She was going to try and kill Dracula on her own!

"Mori!" the young huntress replied in shock. "You could have been killed!"

"At least then I'd have it over with, Bethany, because I'm tired of waiting for it to happen." Mori answered hotly, catching Beth off guard. The half vampire sighed irately before she continued walking, leaving the young Van Helsing to catch up with her.

"You don't really mean that, do you?" Beth asked her. Her emerald orbs were full of concern and worry. Mori didn't even look at her.

"If you want, I'm sure Van Helsing would be glad to do it." Beth replied softly, half joking. However, there was no doubt in her mind that he would _actually_ do it, whether Mori wanted him to or not.

Mori then stopped as if something had hit her. Beth stopped next to her, worried that her little joke had gone too far.

"I can't go back, Bethany. I'm not going to." Mori said.

"What? Yes you are!" Beth told her. There was no way Mori was ever leaving her again. "You have to."

"And exactly how are you going to make me?" the dark teenager asked her friend as she looked at her expectantly for the answer. Beth remained silent for a few seconds before responding.

"I don't know, but when I think of how, it will be brilliant." Beth declared confidently.

The corners of Mori's lips twitched up into a small smile, but she then shook her head as if to shake out all the emotions. "Bethany, I have no reason to go back. Your father is trying to _murder_ me."

"Jen needs you. She still needs you to teach her." Beth argued.

"No she doesn't. She can handle herself."

"She was almost burnt to a crisp this morning." The young huntress pointed out putting her hands on her hips.

"What?" Mori asked turning to her friend quickly.

"She forgot about the light issue."

Mori sighed and shook her head. Was it Beth's imagination, or was Mori amused by this news? It was probably both.

"Honestly, that girl…"

"would loose her head if it wasn't attached." Beth finished for her.

"Exactly." Mori replied. There was a moment of silence where Mori thought about her options for a moment.

"Alright. I'll go back with you." Mori said opening the massive front door to the castle. "But only for Jen."

"Oh, of course." Beth said smiling at her. "Only for Jen. I understand."

"Good." Mori told Beth as she walked out the door. " If you didn't, I'd have to beat it into you."

Beth laughed as Mori followed her out of the castle.

- - -

Beth and Mori entered Valerious manor side by side. The walk back had been relatively quiet. Mori was very upset. Bethany was thinking about the way things could go. If Van Helsing got angry, then he'd shoot Mori. If Mori got offended, she'd leave and go after her father on her own. That would also result in her death. Beth was trying to find a realistic situation that wouldn't leave Mori dead at the end of it. She couldn't find one at the moment. That wasn't a very comforting thought. Beth's thoughts were broken when she saw Jen walking toward them.

"Welcome back Mori." Jen told her smiling warmly. "I have to talk to you."

"Not now princess." Mori growled coldly and pushed past the young Valerious. Jen sensed the delicacy of Mori's mood and didn't say anything till the half vampire was well out of hearing range.

"Jen, please go _gently_ break it to the others that Mori has come back." Beth asked her as she began to move toward her room. Jen followed her, a quizzical expression on her face.

"Why?" she asked innocently.

"Mori is dead if you don't." Beth said glaring at her tiredly.

"I'll go do that." Jen said and left quickly, sensing that Bethany was in no mood to explain her thinking. She knew that it would come eventually anyway…that or she'd just figure it out.

Once in her room, Beth collapsed in a chair. She leaned on her right elbow and touched her fingers to her forehead. The girl's eyes closed as if to shut out the world. Since when was her life her own personal Hell? Beth sighed heavily and looked up. She balled up her fingers and placed her fist against her lips. How were she and Mori getting out of this one? There had to be a way; there always was one. All she had to do was find it before Van Helsing gave Mori a sudden case of death. Beth knew one thing for sure; there was absolutely _no way_ she was sleeping tonight.


	21. Exhaustion

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

At 4:12 in the morning, Bethany found herself outside Mori's door. Beth sighed and raised her hand to knock, but stopped when Mori's calm voice cut through the silent and still air.

"Come in, Bethany."

Beth opened the door and smiled softly at Mori. The half vampire was lying on her bed with her hands behind her head. Her icy orbs were fixed on the ceiling. At Beth's entrance, those orbs shifted to focus on her.

"Hi." The young Van Helsing said softly after the door had clicked shut behind her. Mori didn't reply. She just returned her gaze to the ceiling.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. You haven't come out of your room for two days." Beth continued at Mori's silence. Mori sighed and sat up. Her booted feet were on the floor with her elbows resting on her knees and she had her hands clasped together.

"And it looks like you haven't slept in two days, Bethany." Mori replied. "I think the question should be are _you_ alright?"

For a moment, Beth considered the question. What Mori had said about her not sleeping was true. The girl hadn't slept at all. Come to think of it, she couldn't recall the last time she ate more than two bites of anything either. Beth was brought out of her thoughts when she saw Mori move. She patted the chair next to the bed and signaled Beth to sit. Beth did so and crossed her legs.

"I'm not really sure." Beth replied finally.

"I heard you fighting with Van Helsing earlier." Mori mentioned, hoping to get more out of her friend.

Beth's sad green eyes found the floor. The girl was pulled back into the recollection that had burned itself into her memory…

Beth was sitting alone in the library. She had an open book in her hands, but her mind had been wandering, so she was staring out the window. She had found it hard to focus. Most likely, it was because of her lack of sleep. Bethany had tried to focus on the printed words, but they didn't hold her as they once had. The teen had finally given up and stared out the window.

Van Helsing then entered the room. Beth looked at him when she heard his boots on the wood floor. The two of them were still not on good terms after he had made Mori leave.

"Mori came back." Van Helsing said to break the uneasy silence between them.

"Yeah." Was Bethany's short reply.

"I'm surprised she had the nerve to show up again." He sighed.

"I asked her to."

"What?"

"I asked her to come back." Beth replied calmly. She knew that Van Helsing wouldn't be happy about this little detail, but she was telling the truth.

"Why?"

"She's my friend!" Beth said glaring at him, her green eyes flashing. "I wasn't going to abandon her!"

"You should have." Van Helsing answered.

"Would you abandon Carl, or even Anna?" Beth asked fighting not to raised her voice as she stood from her chair. Rage flared up inside the girl. She faced Van Helsing with raw determination in her eyes. He would understand Mori even if it killed her. This fight already felt like it was.

"You know I would never do such a thing." Gabriel replied.

There was a moment where the two stared at each other in silence, eyes locked. The seasoned monster hunter saw Beth's eyes were glazed over with unshed tears if fury. Could this fight possibly be hurting her as much as it was hurting him?

"Then don't expect me to do it either." Beth growled at him before she pushed past the monster hunter, stalking out of the library…

Beth pushed the memory aside as she returned herself to the present.

"Yeah." Beth replied softly. "We were."

Mori could tell that this fight was hurting her greatly; emotionally and physically. With Mori's hearing, she could hear the teen moving around at all hours of the night. Mori was awake because one; she didn't need to sleep all that often and two; when she did sleep it was in very short increments. Bethany was different. She _had_ to sleep. Her current lack of it right now was worrying the young vampire. Mori knew what had been keeping her up. If the time came, who would Beth choose: her newly found father or her long time best friend?

"Go get some sleep, Bethany." Mori told her finally. "You deserve it"

"You." Beth said quietly.

"What?" Mori asked, not quite sure what the young girl said.

"If I had to choose, I'd pick you." Beth clarified.

For the first time in her life that she could remember, Mori was speechless. Did she really mean that? Would Beth really go against her father; the only family she had. Would she really give up the one thing that she had been searching for all her life...for her?

While Mori sat still thinking to herself, Beth moved toward the door. The young huntress knew that the simple sentence she had just said would greatly affect her friend. Mostly because she meant it.

"Good night Mori." Beth said and slipped out of the room.

"Night Bethany." Mori replied before the door clicked shut.

Two more days went by and Mori finally came out of her room, but that only resulted in a shouting fight with Anna and Van Helsing on one side and Beth and Mori on the other. From then on Beth had been going to great lengths to avoid her father. Mori had been avoiding everyone except Beth and Jen. She had also been observing Bethany. She still wasn't sleeping much and was barely eating. She was beginning to thin out, her face becoming longer and her eyes falling further back into their sockets. Dark circles were under her eyes, which no longer held the lively glow they once did. Only embers remained of the once great fire that used to flare inside those emerald orbs. By just glancing at her, anyone could tell that something was amiss.

Beth's concentration was failing her. She was just too tired. She had tried countless times to sleep, but her worried and restless mind kept her awake. Training for her had become non-existent. All that remained of it was sitting to the side as she watched Mori constantly kick Jen's butt for one reason or another. The days grew longer for her and seemed never ending, mostly because the dark nights all blended into the next day. After a week and a half, Bethany was falling apart.

Mori finally had enough and decided to take action.

"Bethany," she said one day. "you look miserable. What's the matter? And don't you dare tell me that everything is fine, because everything obviously is certainly not."

_I don't want to lose this._ Beth thought to herself. _I don't want to lose my friends or my family._ Instead of voicing her thoughts, Beth chose not to worry Mori. The girl opened her mouth to reply, but Mori quickly cut her off.

"Don't say you are alright. Or I may have to do something drastic."

Beth didn't even hesitate.

"I'm fine Mori. I just can't sleep, that's all."

Without a word, Mori silently got up and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked.

"To do something drastic."

The half vampire moved down the hall to the library…where Van Helsing was.

"Gabriel, we need to talk." Was the first thing Mori said when she saw him. He stood up, clearly outraged that she would approach him. Mori didn't care. She just had to get her point across.

"We have to call a truce." Mori continued before he could say anything.

"Why would I make a truce with the daughter of my archenemy!"

"I don't care if you like me, but this isn't about me. It's about Bethany." Mori said. "This fight…"

"How is it about Bethany?" Van Helsing cut her off angrily.

"It's killing her!" Mori raised her voice. Silence followed as Mori fumed at the man's obstinacy. "Now be a father and stop being a stubborn child long enough to save your daughter."

Mori then turned on her heel and marched out of room, leaving a bewildered Van Helsing behind.

- - -

"Anna?" Van Helsing asked her later that day. It was just him and Anna in the kitchen. She looked up at him, brushing her dark curls from her eyes.

"Have you seen Beth lately?"

"Yes." Anna replied, her face concerned. "She doesn't look that well. I don't think she's been sleeping. Haven't you noticed?"

"I haven't seen her since our last fight." Van Helsing replied. Anna just nodded to show her understanding.

"When I fought with my father, we didn't speak for weeks on end." She said. Van Helsing's face fell into despair. Anna then attempted to make up for it. "It's usually just a phase."

"I doubt that it's 'just a phase'." Van Helsing replied solemnly.

"You had a right and a reason to react in the way you did." Anna tried to comfort him.

"I haven't been a father for very long, Anna, and I've already got her hating me." Van Helsing said sighing in defeat. "If she didn't know Mori, she would do exactly what I did."

A thought then stuck him. Beth _does_ know Mori, and so does Van Helsing. Well, he knew her well enough. Bethany thought that he would take into consideration what he knew about _Mori_ and not her father.

Van Helsing thought about what he knew about Mori and realized…he didn't feel any different. He still wanted her gone.

"At least you don't have to worry about them now." Anna broke into his line of thought.

"Why?"

"They're out on patrol."

- - -

Beth and Mori walked side by side. The night air was refreshing to Beth, who hadn't been outside in a while. Their walk was silent. Whether Mori didn't want to bring up something or just didn't want to talk, Beth didn't know. She didn't end the silence either. In actuality, it wasn't all that silent. The rustling of leaves and the crunching under their boots were enough. Suddenly, Mori's head snapped to the side, as if she had heard something.

"What?" Beth asked quietly. Mori waited a moment before she replied.

"Stay here." Mori ordered her without even glancing at her and then vanished into the brush. She didn't want Beth to get hurt. She was in no condition whatsoever to fight. Mori knew if she did…Beth wouldn't last long.

Beth sighed and sat down on the leaf covered ground. She hadn't felt her shoulders drop in at least a week. She could feel the stress and constant lack of sleep taking it's toll. The teen was exhausted in mind and body. Beth fell back on the ground with a sigh, her arms spread wide. She stared up at the star-filled sky above her. As she stared into the heavens, Beth found her thoughts wandering. She was slowly beginning to wonder if everyone was going to come out of this alright. One thing was certain however, her life would never be the same. Jen's life was already altered for all eternity, literally. Beth had found her father in this time. She found out who she was. Then, she lost him due to each of their own stubbornness. She discovered her best friend was Dracula's dunpeal daughter and that she was half angel. What a mess. With all these thoughts crammed in her head, Beth let her eyes close to block out the world.

"Oh, tired dear?" a voice cooed. Beth sat up instantly and turned around in the direction the voice had come from. Behind her was Dracula and Aleera. The teen scrambled up and glared evilly at them, her hatred for them temporarily making her forget her current weakened state.

"What do you want?" Beth demanded.

"We were hoping to find my daughter." Dracula replied. He vanished and then reappeared in a flash behind the young huntress. The girl whirled around. The vampire was smirking down at her.

"Have you seen her?" he asked. Beth remained silent. Aleera Grabbed her arm and pulled. Beth fought against her, but was flung to the ground. She landed with a thud and a moan of pain escaped her lips. Beth rolled on her back and shot white light high into the air. Aleera pulled her up, but Beth shot light into her stomach. She was flung back quite a ways.

Beth felt her body and stamina crumbling as she kept fighting. She was in no condition to survive this battle and Dracula knew it. The teen was suddenly flung into a tree. It shattered when she hit it. The girl screamed in pain as it shot all over her body before she fell on the ground like a rag doll. The young huntress tried to push herself up, but found she didn't have the strength. She held the back of her head and then looked at her fingers. They were stained with freshly-shed blood. The world began to spin around her. Things were no longer distinct, only blobs of movement. Delusions were taking over the edges of her vision and she realized in horror that she was slowly slipping in to blackness.

- - -

Mori saw the light and began running back. When she saw the signal, she cursed herself. _She_ had left Beth alone. _She_ was the reason Beth was in poor shape. _She_ had let Bethany come with her tonight and _she_ was the one who was stupid enough not to make sure that she was armed! If Bethany was hurt, it was all her fault.

Mori burst into the clearing where she had left her friend. The image that awaited her was frightening. Beth lay motionless on the ground with her father and the crazy red head standing above the fallen huntress. An unfamiliar rage flared up inside her. They attacked a weaker party on purpose! _Oh,_ Mori growled in her mind. _I will kill him even it it's the last thing I DO!_

"Leave her alone!" Mori's smooth, low and dangerous tone resounded around them.

"What can you do about it?" Aleera said. "This is all your fault anyway, dearie."

Mori's deadly gaze fell on the bride and her eyes slowly shifted from their icy blue to a ominous blood red. Inside her jaw, her canines lengthened as they turned into fangs. She was ready to show her father what he had just unleashed. It was time he got what he deserved.

"This is between you and I. Leave her out of it." Mori hissed as she slowly moved toward Bethany. Mori could hear her heartbeat, which was almost a relief. She was alive…at the moment. She was barely alive now and if her father or Aleera got to her, Bethany would cease to exist. She had to get Beth some medical attention as soon a possible. First, she had to make sure they didn't die now.

"She's been involved since she was four." Aleera reminded the young half vampire.

"Just leave her be." Mori demanded. She was now by Beth's side. Time to act. "Of course, you could always go back to the pile of shit you came from."

Aleera flew at the girl in rage, only to be blocked by a dome of black light that had appeared around the two. That was all Mori's doing.

"Mori?" Beth asked quietly. Mori felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was still awake, which meant she was stronger than Mori thought she was. The half vampire bent down next to the young Van Helsing just to be able to hear her.

"Will the black thing eat me?"

Mori almost smiled at the silliness of the question. She must be becoming delusional.

"No Bethany." Mori replied. "The black thing won't eat you."

"Oh…" Beth replied faintly. "good."

Mori's energy was slowly draining from her. She could feel it already. That's why she didn't use these powers often. If they drained too much of her energy…there was no going back. Mori knew the consequences all to well. She had made the mistake of getting close once, but if she had to now, so be it. Bethany's survival was more important than hers. She wouldn't make that other mistake again either. This time is different. She won't loose control…not again…not this time.

Mori shrunk the force field around Bethany, leaving herself out of it. She flung her hand out at her father. He was flung back by a black bolt of lightning. Her strength was waning fast, even with her extreme anger mixed into it, but she wouldn't stop till her friend was safe.

Bethany had already done the same for her.

- - -

Van Helsing and Anna rushed through the brush. They had seen Beth's 'signal flare' from the manor and knew something was terribly wrong, which scared and worried Van Helsing to no end.

"It came from over here!" Van Helsing said pushing through some thick bushes and entered a clearing. He then stood transfixed by the unusual sight before him, as did Anna.

Mori had fangs, blood red eyes and her hands were sparking with black lightning. Needless to say, he looked _extremely_ pissed off.

"That's new." Anna said. Van Helsing then saw who Mori was fighting and took cover, pulling Anna against him so she would do the same. Now was not a good time to be exposed, especially with Mori in this kind mood.

Mori saw Aleera getting close to where Beth was and struck her with the dark lightning that she controlled. The bride quickly flew back to the safety of her master.

"What do you hope to accomplish by this, Morianalynn?" Dracula asked her.

"Your murder."

"No don't loose your temper, child." Dracula told her.

"It's a little late for that."

"You know what happened last time." Dracula acted like he didn't even hear her.

"This is different you pompous, small brained, waste of space!" Mori roared at him furiously.

"Is that the best insult you can come up with?"

"Bastard." Mori grumbled to herself.

With a final surge of energy, black light extended from her finger tips and gathered around her front. Mori pushed the small storm of lightning at the vampires as she grunted from the effort. It hit dead on. After a scream of pain, Dracula and Aleera flew away in defeat.

Mori stood her ground for a moment, still sparking. She didn't move at all. It was as if she had truly turned to stone. She was making sure that they were really gone. Once she deemed it safe. Mori ran over to where Bethany lay on the ground. Mori's breathing was labored and had her several strands of her dark locks sticking to her forehead, which was covered in sweat. She had to wipe it out of her now ice blue eyes. Every muscle in her body ached and throbbed in pain. She knew she wouldn't stay conscious for much longer. She wouldn't give out now. She wasn't done.

"Bethany, are you alright? You're bleeding." Mori said concernedly between gasps for air.

Beth's eyes were half open, showing that she was barely awake.

"I'll make it." Beth replied. By now, Van Helsing and Anna had come out of their hiding place. Van Helsing rushed over and knelt next to his daughter. Mori, knowing he still didn't trust her and thinking that he just got there, stood and backed away.

"Everything is alright, Beth." Van Helsing gently told her. "We'll get you back."

"Oh," Mori said nodding. Her job was done. "good ti…"

Mori's eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed on the ground in a heap.

"Mori!" Beth tried to pushed herself up to get to her friend.

"Shh." Van Helsing said and picked her up in his arms. "You are in no condition to do anything."

"Don't leave her here." Beth almost begged him. Van Helsing, instead of answering, handed the teen off her Anna.

"Take her back to the manor. I'll meet you there." Van Helsing told the gypsy princess. Anna nodded and the vanished into the forest with Bethany still shouting at him.

"If you leave Mori I'll never forgive you!"

Van Helsing sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair just before he looked down at Mori. In just a few moments, his opinion of the girl had just drastically changed. She had risked her life and went against her father to save _his_ daughter. She be as loyal to Beth as Beth was to her. Also, based on the power he just saw, he definitely _did_ _not_ want Mori as an enemy.

Sighing, Van Helsing picked the half vampire up in his arms and took her back to the manor.


	22. A Friend's Death

(A/N: Guess what guys…this story is now over 200 pages! This is the longest thing I've ever written in my life! ;D Now on with the story!)

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

Van Helsing sat by Beth's side as he waited for her to wake up. His eyes were slowly drooping down in a desperate want of sleep. He couldn't rest now. He had something he had to tell his daughter. It had to be said the instant she woke up. After thinking about it for a while, he had decided to call a truce with Mori. Of course, Mori had to wake up first if he was ever going to carry out his plan. Carl was watching her. She had yet to wake up. If she did, Carl had been instructed to come get him immediately.

Beth's eyes fluttered open. Her head felt like it was splitting in half. She moaned slightly as she felt it throb in pain.

"Beth? Bethany?"

The girl knew that voice, but it still took her a few moments before it registered with her. The girl turned her head to see that Van Helsing was sitting next to her bed. Beth was about to say something along the lines of 'what do you want' or 'leave me alone', but her father cut her off.

"Before you say anything, I…I want to…to apologize."

Beth looked at him confused. Was he, Van Helsing, actually _apologizing_? The girl was so stunned, she decided the best thing to do was to remain silent. She could tell that this was hard for him to say. If she interrupted him now, then he may never finish what he was going to say.

"I should have trusted your judgment on Mori's character…and I'm sorry I didn't. I shouldn't have tried to make you abandon her." the seasoned monster hunter continued.

"Are you…" Beth stopped and thought for a moment. If he didn't really mean it, then he wouldn't have said it. But could it really be that simple? Maybe it could be. The girl pushed herself up and her expression softened. "I forgive you, but I'm not the only person you should be apologizing to."

"I know." Van Helsing replied. "She is still unconscious. Carl is with her to make sure she'll be alright."

The two sat in silence for a moment, neither one really sure what they should do now. They had been fighting so long, it felt a little odd to be on the same side again. Finally, Van Helsing broke the silence.

"Come here, midget."

Beth shifted herself toward him and Van Helsing wrapped his arms around his daughter. After a moment, she did the same. The girl relished in the comfort of his protection. It felt like a great weight had just been lifted off her. She felt lighter. Her _soul_ felt lighter. She was beginning to feel like her old self again. Finally, the two pulled away from each other.

"I missed you." He told her.

"Dad." Beth replied smiling softly. He was being silly.

"I _really_ missed that."

- - -

Two days later, Beth was up and walking around, but Mori was still unconscious in her bed. Bethany wasn't allowed to visit her, but didn't know why Carl wouldn't let her. Maybe it was his crazy 'must heal in quiet' philosophy. The girl ended up filling the time with reading in the library. Her father would come in a lot and talk with her. He was doing his best to find out what she was like when she was little. Most of the time, it triggered a long forgotten memory to spring up. In return, Van Helsing told Beth about all his past assignments. The girl was fascinated by them. Mostly it was because he was a good storyteller. Also, the stories were very exciting.

"Van Helsing," Carl said as he came in the library. It had been one week since Beth woke up. He had just interrupted Van Helsing telling Bethany about a nasty demon assignment in Spain. "may I speak to you out in the hall?"

"Sure."

Van Helsing got up and followed the little friar into the hall. The man shut the library door behind him. Bethany, meanwhile, returned to her book. After a few minutes, Van Helsing returned with a solemn face. The girl looked up when he entered. His expression wasn't comforting.

"Beth," he started. It was difficult for him to say what he needed to. Even he himself couldn't believe what Carl had just told him. He never thought it could happen, but it had.

"What's wrong?" Beth asked, worry written all over her features. She had closed her book and stood up so she could move toward her father. The monster hunter took a deep breath and just let it come out.

"Mori is dead."

Beth stopped dead as her blood froze.

"What?" she asked. Her stomach began tightening till she thought she would throw up. It couldn't be…I just couldn't. Mori was immortal! She _can't_ die! It was impossible! "Mori can't be dead."

"Her heart stopped and she wasn't breathing." Van Helsing told her as calmly as he could. Bethany began shaking her head. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she hugged herself. Something inside her had cracked. The dam she had built broke and her sadness came spilling out. Van Helsing then put an arm around her shoulders.

"No!" Beth cried as tears raced down her cheeks. She then fell into her father's arms weeping uncontrollably. Van Helsing just patted her back, trying to comfort and calm the girl.

"No. No. No. No. No." Beth said between her sobs. "Not Mori. Please…not Mori!"

"Shhh." Gabriel said stoking her hair. "Everything will be alright. Shhh."

Beth sat in his arms for what seemed like an eternity, crying. She just couldn't believe that Mori was gone. Mori had died to protect her. Mori had died…for her. This was her fault. Because of her…Mori was gone forever.

- - -

The next few days were a blur for the teenager. The day after Mori's death, Beth and Jen stood in the doorway of her room. Mori's room was dark, as it had always been. The only light it had streamed in from the hallway. Van Helsing had to pick up Mori's body off the bed and Carl silently lead him elsewhere. The teenagers didn't even bother to follow. They didn't even want to know they were going. The thought was too depressing.

"I don't believe it." Jen said. Beth remained silent. She felt different, like something was missing. Bethany knew perfectly well what that something was, of course. It was her best friend. And there were always those two horrible thoughts in the back of her mind. Mori had died to save her and (no matter how much she tried to deny it) there was no fixing this. The girl angrily brushed a tear from her cheek. Not only was the young huntress filled with grief, but she was racked with guilt. Mori's death was all her fault and the thought would never leave her alone. She knew it never would till the day she died (which could be sooner than she planed).

"I can't believe that one of us…died." Jen said quietly.

"Someone usually does on a mission like this." Beth replied softly, all the emotion gone from her voice. She was too troubled to even bother with feelings anymore. They only exhausted her.

The two girls looked at each other for a moment before Jen walked off. Beth was left alone staring into Mori's dark room. Things were just has they had been while she was alive. The books were placed neatly on their shelves and even the piles on the floor were left untouched. On her desk were half finished notes and a partially used bottle of ink, which had been left open. The candles in the room were half used up with the wax left frozen as it dripped down the sides. Beth remembered the conversations she had with Mori in this room. When she needed the blood, Mori was here. Bethany had been sitting in the chair by her bed. Then, more recently, when Mori asked Bethany if she was alright. Beth had been in that same chair. That was during the fight with Van Helsing. Now, Van Helsing would never make peace with her. Beth would never get to tell her that she really was fine. If only Mori wasn't dead…but that was just a wish. Most wishes never come true. 'If only' was never going to be a reality.

With a deep sigh of regret and pain, Beth closed the door.


	23. Emotional Day

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

The next evening, Beth was sitting on the edge of her bed. She couldn't sleep, again, so she was reading. She had woken up from yet another nightmare. It was the one that had been haunting her for a while…

_Bethany was running through the forest, her white gown shredded and covered in mud. Her heart was pounding madly in her chest as she ran. She had to get away from whatever was behind her. She didn't know what was there, and (from the feeling running up her spine) she didn't want to._

_Beth tripped over a log and landed hard on the ground. The girl let out a small moan of pain as twigs and hidden rocks cut into her skin. She couldn't concentrate on that now. Getting away was her only concern. She quickly pushed herself up and continued running._

"_Why are you running from me?" a voice echoed around Beth. It filled her with fear and she pushed herself on even more._

"_Come back to me, Bethany." It cooed. It sounded like it was right behind her!_

_Beth whirled around to see…nothing. Only the forest met her eyes. She looked around frantically as her breathing came in deep gasps. Still, everything seemed calm around her. The girl turned back around and screamed. Less than six inches behind her was a figure cloaked in black. The figure grabbed her arms and pulled her against them. They then leaned forward and whispered in her ear._

"_You will be mine."_

Bethany had woken up to the sound of her lamp shattering. She was covered in a cold sweat and her breathing was labored. The girl put a hand over her heart. It was beating rapidly. The teenager took deep breaths to calm down. When this usually happened, Beth would get dressed and go talk to Mori, but that wasn't an option anymore. She had to keep reminding herself of that fact. Bethany ended up washing her face, putting her usual all black attire and began to read. Reading usually calmed her down and took her mind off things. At the moment, it wasn't working. The words on the page weren't enough to hold her attention.

Giving up, Beth shut her book and flopped back on the bed. Her emerald eyes were focused on the ceiling of her dimly lit room. She stared at it blankly as her mind began to wonder. Mori's funeral was at dawn. Maybe that was _really_ why she couldn't sleep. It wasn't from nightmares, which she usually just shook off. It was from having to say good-bye. The teenage girl sighed heavily. Either way, she was still wide awake.

Getting up, book in hand, Beth left her room and silently moved down the halls of Valerious manor. She passed what used to be Mori's bedroom and moved to the main ballroom. At the far wall lay a black coffin with the lid up. On either side of it were two tall candelabras. Both of them were already lit. Taking a deep breath, Beth approached the side of the coffin and peered in to see Mori's body.

"I'm sorry." Beth said softly. Why was she saying this? Mori couldn't hear her. Mori would never hear her. Then why was she still talking? Maybe she just needed to get this off her chest.

"I'm sorry I was weak. I'm sorry I couldn't save myself. I'm sorry you had to die for my mistake. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything."

Bethany angrily wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's all my fault."

The young huntress then turned to go. If she stayed any longer, she would surely break down into a mountainous wave of tears again. Bethany opened the door to the ballroom. Suddenly, the wind was knocked from her. With a grunt of pain, the book fell from her hands.

Beth flew through the halls in a flash. She had no idea what was going on. The world was passing by in nothing but a blur. The girl closed her eyes to try and sort this all out in her mind. Suddenly, Bethany was mercilessly thrown down on a cold, stone floor. Pain shot through her body as she opened her eyes. She looked up to see a werewolf standing over her. On reflex, she reached for her revolver, but swore when she realized that she didn't have her coat on. Surprisingly, the wolf scampered away.

"Hello Bethany, my dear."

The girl rolled over on her back and saw Dracula towering above her. Her eyes darted all around, looking for escape. Only then did she see that Van Helsing, Anna, Carl, and Jen were all behind bars off to the side. Bethany swore again.

"Maybe you would be so kind a to tell me what happened to my daughter." The vampire continued.

Rage flared up inside the girl along with the sadness and overwhelming guilt it accompanied. Everyone knows that those emotions are _not_ good to bring out in a teenage girl with unusual powers. Bethany bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from crying. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She just wished that this was all a nightmare. As she knew, wishes never come true.

"Are you even going to answer me?" Dracula snapped. Something else inside Bethany snapped as well.

"How's this?" Beth growled at him. A large bean of light shot from her outstretched palm and hit the vampire in the chest. Dracula was flung back and hit the wall behind him hard. The vampire recovered in a flash. He had pinned Beth's wrists above her head and was holding her against he wall. Beth struggled against him, her own fury fueling her fight.

"Why are you so angry, Bethany?" the vampire asked. "I do hope it has something to do with me."

"You bastard!" Beth roared at Dracula, not really caring anymore what he did to her. "You killed her! You killed your own daughter! Mori is dead because of you!"

Bethany had to bite down on her lip again to keep the tears at bay. Dracula's reaction to this news was nothing other than a villainous smile.

"If I recall, dear child, that blame belongs with you." Dracula told the young huntress. The girl froze immediately.

"You can't pin this on Beth!" Van Helsing argued with the vampire through the bars of his prison. "She didn't do anything!"

"I can and she knows it." Dracula said smirking. "You are right, Gabriel. She didn't do anything. That is exactly the point. Morianalynn used her powers to protect dear Bethany, who wasn't capable of protecting herself. Therefore, she is responsible for Mori's…sudden departure."

"Stop it!" Jen demanded.

"Why?" Dracula asked. "I'm only voicing what she has been thinking this entire time. She believes it."

Beth, in response to this, spat on him. Her saliva hit him on the face and she reeled back momentarily in disgust. Dracula then calmly wiped it away.

"That was uncalled for." The vampire said. "You're a bit immature."

"And you're a deranged psychopath." Beth snapped at him, fire blazing in her emerald eyes. Her comment caused Dracula to smile.

"She sounds exactly like you, Gabriel." Dracula said.

"Let go of her!" Jen demanded as she grabbed onto the bars. Anger rose in the young Valerious. Dracula only glanced at her and her head was spinning. The vampire, using his mind, forced Jen to faint.

"Jen!" Anna screamed in horror as she scooped her niece up in her arms.

"Now that that's taken care of." Dracula said turning back to Bethany. "Now that the prophecy can't come true, I might as well make sure that the other half can't come to pass either."

"What do you mean? What prophecy?" Beth demanded.

"You should know by now." Dracula told the girl. "And if you don't, then it doesn't matter anyway."

The vampire smiled. To her horror, Beth saw the Count's canines increase in length. He was looking forward to draining the child dry.

"Count Dracula!" Van Helsing roared at him in anger. Oh God, please not his daughter! He had to protect his child as much as he could. "If you touch her, I swear I'll…"

"You'll do what, Gabriel?" Dracula interrupted him. "Hit me with a rock?"

The vampire was then hit in the back of the head with a small stone. He then glared at the teenager he held captive. Bethany was smiling at him innocently.

"It slipped. I swear." She said, knowing that she had used her mind to annoy him. It's was Mori would've wanted.

"The child is definitely yours, Gabriel." Dracula growled. "She needs someone to save her."

Beth then saw that Dracula's eyes turned ice cold and hollow. She had to repress a shiver. Those eyes and that look never meant anything good.

"Unfortunately, Morianalynn is dead and she's never coming back."

"Are you sure about that?" they heard.

Black lightning then flung Dracula back into a wall. Beth fell on the floor, using her hands to catch her. She knew that voice, but it couldn't be…but the lightning...Beth had to see who had saved her, so she looked up and gasped when she did so.

Leaning on a wall, was a very much alive Mori! She looked drawn and exhausted along with being paler than pale. Still, she was alive!

"Mori?" Beth asked in shock. The girl turned to look at her, her ice blue eyes hard.

"Not now Bethany. I'll explain later." Mori replied. "Get the others so we can go. Now."

Beth shook her head as she focused her attention on the lock to the prison that held her friends. She held out a hand and the lock glowed a moment before it shattered. Van Helsing was the first one out of the cell. He scooped Beth up in his arms as he ran toward Mori.

"Let's go." The monster hunter said.

"I agree…and Jen, wake up!" Mori hissed in annoyance. The young Valerious' eyes then fluttered open. Mori cocked an eyebrow at this. "I didn't think it would actually work."

"Well, it did." Van Helsing said. Mori shrugged and then took off running, the others behind her. They all made a mad dash for the door. They made it out alright and through the mirror, thanks to Van Helsing's ring, which was the key. Van Helsing was being very protective of his child and didn't even set her down till they were back in the armory.

"Mori?" Beth started and then shook her head. I can't be. There was just no way…still…

"Yes Bethany?"

Beth slowly reached out and poked her in the arm. She was solid!

"Satisfied?" Mori asked.

"You really are alive!" Beth exclaimed, her eyes growing wide.

"Yes, mostly anyway." Mori said and then grabbed Beth's arm. She pulled Beth into her so Mori could whisper something in her ear. "And if I ever hear you say such absurd things ever again, I will hurt you. Also, if anyone puts me in a coffin ever again, I will hunt them down and murder them even if I really am dead."

"You heard that?" Beth asked her.

"I was in a healing trace Bethany. That doesn't mean I was deaf."

Bethany smiled. _Same old Mori._ Catching Mori off guard, Beth hugged her. Mori stiffened immediately.

"You're touching me."

Jen, ignoring Mori's last remark, quickly joined Beth in hugging their friend.

"Alright, stop it!" Mori said wiggling to free herself from her friends. "Too much love!"

Beth and Jen took that as their signal to let go of her. Carl, Van Helsing and Anna were all standing still. Apparently, they were still shocked.

"Mori," Jen started. "We are glad you are alive…but…"

"How?" Beth asked.

"You stopped breathing!" Carl exclaimed quietly, unable to believe that the half vampire was standing before them.

"I don't have to. It's one of the perks of being half undead."

"And your heart…"

"I barely have a pulse when I'm not trying to heal myself." Mori cut him off as she sunk into a nearby chair. The girl put her fingers on her forehead and closed her eyes. She was getting a headache again. Healing took a lot of energy, so she needed a boost after all the energy she used. Mori knew what she needed. She needed her medicine.

"Mori," Van Helsing began. He never thought he would get to say this, but now he could. Even after everything, this was still very hard for him. "I…I wanted to…"

Mori put her hand in the air to silence him. Her icy orbs then fell on the seasoned monster hunter.

"Truce?" she asked.

"Truce." Van Helsing agreed as he nodded. Bethany smiled widely as she felt her shoulders drop for the first time in weeks.

"Finally!" Beth rejoiced throwing her arms in the air. "It's over!"

Beth then leaned back against the wall as her arms fell back to her sides. She glanced over at Mori to see her holding her ears. Jen was doing the same, but hiding it better.

"Sorry." Beth told her. "I forgot."

"I'm going back to bed." Mori said as she stood. "If anyone wakes me up, I swear I won't hesitate in murdering you."

Everyone watched as Mori exited the room in a swirl of black fabric. Beth smiled as she did so. _It's so good to have her back._ She then shook her head before she turned to her father.

"I'm going to go to bed too."

"Good night, midget."

"Night dad." Bethany said before she walked out the door. Once out in the hall, Beth noticed that someone was there. Mori was leaning on the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, a knowing smile dancing in her eyes.

"Walk with me." Mori suggested to her.

"Alright." Bethany replied, a small smile on her lips. The two then began to make their way down the hall.

"Maybe now that this is all over, you can actually sleep again." Mori told the young huntress. Beth just nodded absentmindedly.

"It's hard to sleep when you have nightmares all the time." Beth mumbled to herself, not really caring that Mori would hear her.

"They haven't gotten any better?"

Bethany shook her head 'no'.

"Interesting." Mori mumbled and stopped outside the kitchen door. She eyed it for a moment before she opened it with a sweeping motion. She then turned to Bethany.

"Step into my office."

"Those words could be lethal coming from you, Mori." Beth said as she moved into the kitchen, Mori following her.

"We shall see."

Beth sat at the table while Mori vanished. She returned moments later with a glass of 'wine' and a steaming cup of coffee. She sat at the table across from Bethany and slid her the coffee. Beth took a drink and immediately felt her insides warm up. Her mind was spinning at the moment, but it would only take her a little while to work things outs. Bethany traced her finger around the edge of the mug. Mori calmly leaned back in her chair.

"Let's talk."

"Where do you want to start?" Beth asked before she took another drink.

"Your nightmares." Mori said, giving Bethany the 'obviously' look. Silence hung in the air for a moment before the young huntress broke it.

"Could you be a bit more specific?"

"Tell me every nightmare you've had since I've been…dead, I guess would be the best way to put it, and what happened afterward."

Beth sighed before she began. "It's always the same one. I've been having it for a while, about a week or so. I'm always running from something. Then a black figure shows up and captures me. I wake up to something breaking or a crash every single time."

"What have you broken?" Mori asked.

"I had eight books fall from their shelves, six bottles shatter, the chair crashed to the floor three times and a lamp exploded." Beth answered.

"That much." Mori mumbled to herself. Her blue eyes then became distant as she thought. They weren't focusing on anything in particular, but just stared off into space. Mori took a drink from her glass. Bethany noticed that it was already only half full. Still, she didn't say anything and let Mori think in silence.

"Your powers are growing." Mori mumbled.

"What?"

"Or it could be your lack of sleep." Mori mumbled, not having heard Bethany since she was concentrating so much. "Or your fragile emotional state."

"Mori!"

"Hum?" Mori asked her eyes falling on her friend. "Oh, I forgot you were still here."

Beth decided not to say anything. Resisting the urge to shake her head, she took a drink of coffee. Mori noticed this lack of reaction.

"Are you alright, Bethany?"

"Well, I had a friend's funeral coming up, got kidnapped by Dracula, had my friend come back from the dead and my father decided _not_ to kill her." Beth replied. "It's been an emotional day."

The teenager looked at her coffee cup, decided why not, and drank what was left of the warm, brown, liquid. Again, Mori noticed this and decided not to say anything about it.

"You'll feel better after you get some sleep." Is what she said instead.

"So will you."

"I've been asleep for long enough." Mori replied, a hit of sternness in her voice. "And knowing you, you haven't slept at all. Go to bed Bethany."

A soft smile spread across Beth's lips. _Same old, protective Mori_. She thought as she stood up.

"Good night Mori."

"Sleep well."

Mori watched as the young monster hunter vanished out the door. The half vampire then sighed to herself as she took another sip from her glass. She then held it up so her eyes were at the same level as the red liquid it contained.

"That girl will be the death of me." Mori mumbled to herself before she emptied the glass and set it on the table. She then went to get the green bottle, which was still at least half full. After Mori returned to the table, she poured a little into the glass and drained it instantly. She was about to refill the glass, but her hand stopped short. After a small shrug, the girl began to drink from the bottle. Its contents were gone in moments. When the bottle was empty, Mori sighed and looked at it.

"I needed that."


	24. New Power

**CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR**

After a while things began returning to normal, or as normal as things would ever be for them. Beth began to sleep more, which was a relief to her, Mori and Van Helsing. She was even getting stronger. She got back into her training again. It was always Beth against Mori. She had even come close to beating her. She was constantly improving in body and mind. Mori was glad to see it. She knew Bethany would one day have to beat her, but she had no idea when that day would come. It was only a matter of time, however.

Jen, however, seemed to become more troubled as the days passed. Something was always on her mind and it was obvious to Beth and Mori. They were worried about her, but since Jen didn't say anything, they didn't prod. If Jen thought she could handle this on her own, they wouldn't interfere unless she asked for help. About two weeks after getting Mori back, she and Jen were in the library alone. Mori was reading. So was Jen, but her focus and concentration was clearly not with her. Finally, she shut her book. Mori noticed, but didn't even move.

"Mori?" Jen asked. The half vampire didn't look up from her page as she replied.

"Yes, princess?"

Jen bit her lip as Mori turned the page of the book. This was hard to ask, but if anyone would have advice on this subject, it was Mori.

"Do you…" Jen paused just long enough for Mori's icy eyes to fall on the young Valerious from over the top of her book. Jen began again.

"Do you think I should tell them about my…condition?"

Mori hadn't expected this question from Jen. She slowly closed her book and set it in her lap as she thought about how to respond. It wasn't as simple as 'yes' or 'no' and here's why. It really depended on the situation.

"It's a delicate question," Mori began. "as is the situation. It's really up to you. What are your reasons for keeping it a secret, what are your reasons for not and so on. I chose to keep it a secret for…obvious reasons. You, however, are free to do whatever you want."

"But with what happened to you…" Jen tailed off, knowing that that subject was probably not the best one to bring up. "I just think…"

"You can tell them when you are ready." Mori interrupted her, feeling sorry for the girl. She was far too innocent to be a vampire.

"Anna is going to kill me." Jen said and cradled her head in her hands. Mori raised an eyebrow at her.

"Anna will not kill _you_. She'll kill _me_." Mori said. Jen raised her head and looked at Mori questioningly. Mori sighed inwardly. Yup, definitely too innocent to be a vampire. "Think about it for a moment, princess. Who will she blame?"

Jen was silent. Mori was right. Anna would blame her for not being able to protect Jen. Then again, Bethany was there too. Would she be putting blame on her two best friends if she revealed what she really was? Oh Lord, why was this so complicated? Jen sighed as Mori got up. She hated to leave Jen like this, but she had too.

"I have to go help train Bethany. She's gotten a bit more powerful since I…well…died." Mori told her and sighed. "I will never get used to saying that."

"Bye Mori."

---

Beth and Mori walked around the forest silently. Beth's gun was out and ready.

"You sure that the guy at the bar said there was a werewolf, Mori?" Beth asked her. "I haven't even seen a trace of one."

Mori's only answer was a sideways glance at Beth with one of her eyebrows raised. Beth saw it and sighed as she smiled slightly.

"I should know better than to question you by now." Beth told her.

"I should hope so." Mori answered. "Otherwise, well, I don't know what I'd have to do to you in order to get the point across. I do know it would be nothing all that pleasant."

"Got it." Beth said.

The two then heard a low growl to their left. They whirled around to face it together, Beth with her revolver out, aimed and ready to fire. Nothing happened, and nothing moved. That is what worried Bethany. Usually there were at least a few birds out. The silence of the forest was only another sign that the girls had to be even more alert than usual. It was a sign that whatever they hunted was close by.

In a flash, a werewolf had jumped from the brush and pounced on Bethany. She dived to the side, barely missing it. Faster than anyone man could blink, Mori had her own revolver out and was unloading her barrel at the monster. The wolf roared in pain at the poisonous silver tore into it's flesh. Finally, Mori's revolver clicked empty. The werewolf stood on it's hind legs and roared at Mori, the other girl on the ground behind it forgotten. Mori flung her gun to the side as it ran at her. The dark girl locked eyes with the beast as they flashed a curious shade of ice blue that was much colder than the usual color of Mori's eyes.

"Stop." She said.

To Mori and Beth's complete and utter surprise, the wolf stopped in it's tracks. The beast then sat on the ground and waited for orders like an obedient puppy. Bethany's jaw had fallen to the ground by now, where Mori had only raised an eyebrow. She had no idea that she could control werewolves. When did this happen? Didn't she know everything about herself yet?

"Go. And don't come back." Mori told him.

The monster then got up and scampered away like it was told. Mori put her fingers to her forehead and shook her head. Since she was doing this, she didn't notice Bethany standing up. Beth walked over to Mori as she put her gun back in her coat.

"Mori, that was amazing." Beth told her as she picked up Mori's revolver off the ground. She then handed it to the dark girl. Mori moved her eyes from Beth's face to the gun, and then back to Bethany again. Sighing, Mori took the gun from the girl's outstretched hand. Silently, she began to reload it.

"Mori?" Beth asked. Mori was acting a little weird. She seemed, well, upset. Why would she be upset about sending away a werewolf.

"I'm fine, Bethany." Mori replied once she had finished loading her gun. The half vampire sighed as the gun vanished beneath the folds of her cloak. "I'd just think that after two hundred and ten years that I'd know what all my powers are."

Beth's eyes grew wide. How old did she just say she was?

"You're two hundred and ten?"

Mori looked up at Bethany and shook her head.

"Of course not, Bethany. Don't be silly." Mori told her.

"Oh." Beth replied and breathed out. Of course Mori wasn't that old. I mean, she looked sixteen. How old could she possibly be? Mori then sprung it on her.

"I'm two hundred and thirty four."

"What?" Beth exclaimed, shocked. Her eyes were wide at this news. Mori was over two hundred years old? How did this work?

"Didn't we have this conversation already?" Mori asked Bethany sounding as calm as ever. She acted as if Beth already knew this.

"No." Beth answered as she shook her head.

"Oh." Mori replied. She paused to think about it for a moment and then gave a single nod as she looked back at her friend. "Well, now you do."

Mori began walking off, leaving Bethany standing where she was in shock for a few moments. The young huntress turned to look at the back of her friend and then ran to catch up. Once she did, she walked beside her. She had some questions that she wanted answered.

"Mori, you look sixteen! How can you be two hundred and thirty four years old?" Beth asked her, very confused.

"Bethany, I'm half vampire." Mori answered. "Vampires don't age, you know that. Since I'm half human, I do age, but I most likely won't age appearance wise past twenty five or thirty. I'll then go on living forever like any normal vampire would, I suspect."

"Suspect?" Beth asked.

"You see, I don't plan on living long enough to find out with my current occupation and family history being what it is." Mori answered calmly.

"Mori." Beth half scolded her.

"Do you plan on growing old with monster hunting being your job of choice, Bethany?" Mori interrupted her before Beth could scold her anymore.

Beth thought about it a second. She really didn't expect to survive this job, that never stopped her from trying too. Still, trying wasn't a guarantee that you'd live.

"No." the young huntress answered.

"Exactly." Mori said and then sighed. "Frankly, I'm surprised I've survived this long."

"Especially since you got stuck with me as a partner." Beth pointed out.

"Yes." Mori answered. "When you put it that way, both of us being alive at this age is quite shocking."

Beth just laughed. Mori then looked at her from the corner of her eye.

"What are you laughing about, Sunshine? You still have combat training with me."

Beth's laugh quickly vanished.

---

Bethany and Mori walked into the manor after their little training session. Beth was exhausted since it had run extra long. She had come very close to beating Mori with both of them using their powers. Still, it had drained a lot of her energy and Beth was looking forward to a nice, long, nap that was long overdue.

"Well Bethany, you gave me quite a run. I hope you weren't holding anything back." Mori said, a smirk in her eyes. Bethany then heard in her head _Tired?_

_Yes!_ Beth replied on their mind link before speaking. "No Mori, I can't hold anything back if I even want to get close to beating you.

Mori nodded, but remained silent. When giving her all, Bethany still couldn't beat her? That wasn't good to hear. Mori just hoped that she could beat her, if the time came…_when_ the time came. Mori was brought out of her thoughts when she saw Van Helsing come around the corner. He saw the girls and moved toward them.

"There you two are." He said. "I've been looking everywhere for you. We are having a meeting the library."

_There goes my nap idea_. Beth grumbled in her mind, aware that Mori probably still had the link up. She did and a smirk formed in her eyes when she heard it.

"Thanks dad."

"Welcome midget." Van Helsing replied smiling and then vanished from sight. Mori looked over at Bethany, one eyebrow raised.

"Midget?" she asked. A small smile of embarrassment formed on Beth's lips.

"It's something he's started calling me. I get to call him Gabe in return through."

"Gabe?" Mori asked, raising both eyebrows.

"Or Gabby if I want to embarrass him." Beth's smile was now one of mischief.

Mori sighed and shook her head at the girl and her father.

"I have no idea how I even know you." She mumbled.

Beth smiled. "Well, about three years ago in London…"

Mori's quickly put her gloved hand over the girl's mouth. Yup, that thirteen year old was still in there somewhere. She had just about showed herself.

"I vividly recall when we met, thank you Bethany." Mori then lowered her hand. "My gosh! You were annoying."

"Hey!" Beth said defensively and then thought about it for a moment. "You know what, I probably was, so I'll be quiet."

A smile formed in Mori's eyes. "You're learning. Good."

When the two reached the library, they found that Jen, Carl, Van Helsing and Anna were already there. Jen was pacing the room with Anna watching her as she sat on the couch. Van Helsing was next to one of the many book shelves and Carl was happily seated behind the desk. Mori took an empty chair and Beth took the other couch. She sat down and crossed her legs.

"Well," Anna began. "why are we all here, Jen?"

Jen took a deep breath. It was obvious that she was nervous. Beth saw that her hands were shaking.

"I have to tell you something."


	25. A Secret Told

**CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE**

Beth shifted in her seat. Was Jen about to reveal what Bethany though she was? She didn't like the idea. Beth glanced over at Mori, who wasn't moving at all. Beth knew Mori well enough to know that behind her calm exterior, her interior was screaming at her to do something. Even if this was true, Mori still showed absolutely no sign of it. Beth sent up a silent prayer that Van Helsing, Carl and Anna would be little more understanding toward Jen than they were to Mori. Mori could take the isolation and hate glares simply because she was Mori. Jen was different. She wasn't anywhere near as strong Mori was, physically and emotionally.

Jen was wringing her hands nervously. She looked over to Mori for some comfort and only got a nod in response.

"A while back…when Dracula had kidnapped all three of us…it was after Beth got Mori back from Dracula…" Jen swallowed, stalling as she searched for the best way to say this.

"Yes?" Carl asked urging her to go on. He then got a glare from both Beth and Mori. The small friar shrank back and whispered and apology.

"Well…" Jen began again. "he…bit me."

"What?" Anna demanded. She rose to her feet and Jen took a few steps back from her. Oh God! She was going to die.

"Are you telling us that you're a vampire!" Anna was obviously furious by now. Jen swallowed to keep herself as calm as she could be.

"Yes." Jen said it like she was afraid of what Anna might do to her if she heard it.

"Impossible!" Anna screamed. Jen jumped back even further as if she were afraid of her. In a way, she was. Beth quickly stood up next to the girl and put her arm around her, hoping to provide some comfort to the young Valerious. Mori was at her side soon as well. Anna turned to Van Helsing, who hadn't even blinked until now.

"Van Helsing," Anna began. "say something!"

Van Helsing blinked, a little shocked at this request. He glanced over at Beth and Mori, who were now next to each other. The repercussions of the last time something like this happened were still fresh in his mind. Of course he was upset about this little bit of news. Mori had only been half. Jen was a full blown blood drinking, bat-changing, and no-going-out-in-sunlight vampire! On the other hand, Jen wasn't Dracula's kid and she had a soul. Another thing to keep in mind is what an explosion at Jen would do to him and Beth. Could he really risk the relationship he had with his daughter again? Van Helsing's dark eyes traveled between his daughter and Anna. Finally, he sighed in defeat.

"Thank you for telling us, Jen." He said finally. The calmness of this statement surprised everyone in the room, especially Mori. "I appreciate it."

Anna's jaw was hanging open. He was alright with this!

"You've got to be kidding me!" Anna almost screamed at him. "After what you went through with Mori…"

"This situation is different." Van Helsing cut her off calmly. "Jen isn't telling us that she's Dracula's child. Besides, there is nothing we can do about it now."

"It means the same thing!" Anna shouted at him.

"No it doesn't!" Van Helsing countered as he fought to keep his voice level.

"There is no way Jen can be a…a…" Anna finally gave up trying to say it. "Otherwise she wouldn't have a soul!"

"I solved that problem." Beth spoke up. "Jen is exactly the same as she ever was. The only difference now is that she's immortal. She's still the same person."

"But she's a vampire!" Anna roared, making Mori and Jen's ears ring. "Vampires aren't people! Doesn't anyone understand that!"

Anna angrily stormed out of the room. A thick and heavy silence hung in the room for a long moment. Jen bit her lower lip and sank onto the couch with her head in her hands. She then began sobbing.

"Oh Jen." Beth said and sat down next to her. Bethany wrapped her arms around the girl in an attempt to comfort her as she cried.

"Everything will be alright. She's just in shock." Beth gently told her. "Shhh. Calm down. I'm here. It'll be alright."

Jen continued to cry. Carl, feeling very awkward in this situation, quickly slipped out of the room to visit his test tubes and chemicals. Those couldn't talk back to him or cry. They were more predictable than people were. Mori and Van Helsing, sensing that Jen needed to be alone, walked out of the room side by side. They walked in silence till Mori was sure that they were out of Jen's earshot.

"You took that rather well." Mori told the seasoned monster hunter without even turning to him.

"I didn't want to risk my relationship with Beth again." Van Helsing replied. "Besides, her situation is different than yours."

Mori didn't say anything immediately, but a smirk formed in her eyes before she replied..

"I'll pretend I believe you."

Van Helsing nodded.

"That'll work."

A few days went by and Anna didn't cool off one bit, much to Jen's dismay. As predicted, she blamed Mori for the entire thing. There were three reasons behind her theory. One: she was Dracula's daughter. Two: she could've done something to save her and three:…because she could. Naturally, this created a lot of tension around the manor, especially when Anna, Mori and Jen were all in the same room. Everyone else had accepted Jen's current state of being (even Van Helsing, which was a wonder surprise for both him and Bethany.) Everyone, that is, except for Anna. This was really taking a toll on Jen, emotionally and physically. It hurt her so much that she and Anna, who used to be so close and the only family that she had left, were now in a relationship that was nonexistent. Jen leaned on Beth and Mori for comfort. Beth did everything she could to help her, but it simply wasn't enough to mend the colossal gap between Jen and Anna. Mori did everything she could as well. She recognized what Jen was going through. She was doing the same thing Bethany had when she fought with Van Helsing. The half vampire knew that she couldn't let it get out of friend. This meant she had to do her duty as Jen's acquaintance…

Mori confronted Anna.

Mori found her in the kitchen. She saw that Anna saw her and was about to leave, but Mori began before she could even move.

"Anna, you've got to put a stop to this."

"Why?" Anna demanded and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Have you even _seen_ Jennifer lately?" Mori really didn't ask. "Look Anna, if I could've done something to save her, I would have. I blame myself for it anyway and I certainly know that you do too. I also know that I don't care if you blame me for it. Just hate _me_ for all eternity and don't take it all out on Jennifer. She didn't choose this curse."

"Why are you helping her?" Anna asked her suddenly. Her tone was calm but there was a dangerous edge to it as if Anna was annoyed with Mori. Mori refused to get angry at her.

"Someone had to teach her and I was the only obvious fit. Besides," Mori leaned on the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. "I kind of like the girl."

Anna remained silent, so Mori took the opportunity to continue.

"You two are family, Anna, the only family you have left in actuality. You're stuck with each other for all eternity; like it or not. You might as well like each other. It will make it easier on the both of you."

Mori then left the room in a swirl of black, leaving Anna to contemplate what the half vampire had just told her.

"That was sweet of you."

Mori turned to see Bethany leaning against the wall next to the door with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a small smirk plastered all over her beautiful features.

"You're getting better at that." Mori told her.

"I learned from the master." Beth replied as she nodded toward Mori. The dark girl just shrugged, so Beth went on. "That really was nice of you."

"I know." Mori answered as the two friends walked side by side to the library.

"I know."

(A/N: READ ME! I'M IMPORTANT! Hey everyone! I haven't done one of these in a while, so I hope you read it. A good friend and I are writing a story that delves deeply into Mori's past. I would like to know what scenes you guys would like to read about. If you have any opinions, leave them in a review. If you don't review, then we won't get in the scene you might want to see, so please keep that in mind. I'll update as soon as I can. Bye!)


	26. Father Daughter Bonding

**CHAPTER TWENTY SIX**

Anna paced the room, thinking about what Mori had told her. As much as she hated to admit it, she was right. Jen was the only family she had left. She needed to hold onto it. But Jen was a vampire. Anna had fought against vampires all her life. If anyone knew….her thoughts were suddenly broken by a knock. She turned to see Van Helsing standing in the doorway. He had removed his hat, allowing Anna to see his eyes. They were kind.

"Can we talk, or is this a bad time?" he asked.

"We can talk." Anna said. "Mori was just in here, talking."

Van Helsing just nodded knowingly. He then shut the door. He wanted this discussion to be private and he had a feeling that Anna did too.

"Mori tried the same thing with me."

"When?" Anna asked, slightly shocked. She had never even heard about this.

"When Beth and I were fighting." Van Helsing sighed as he hand his fingers through his hair. "Mori tried to tell me that the fight was exhausting Beth and that it was literally killing her. If the emotional and physical strain didn't kill her, it'd _get_ her killed."

Anna paused for a moment before she quietly spoke.

"She was right, wasn't she?"

"In a painfully obvious way." Van Helsing replied, a tinge of sadness in his voice. "You saw what happened that night she and Mori went out on patrol. I felt terrible that I had put Beth in that situation, even if it was indirectly. I'm her father, for goodness sake. I should be protecting her, not be making her weaker."

Silence hung between the two for a long moment. Van Helsing really wasn't sure what to say or do in a situation like this, so he remained rooted in place. He wished that he could help Anna fix this whole thing, but he knew only she could do that and there was only one way to do it. Unfortunately, that depended on Anna and Anna alone.

"But this…" Anna tried and stopped as she rethought her choice of words. "It's just like Velkan."

"There is one difference though." Van Helsing said moving toward her. He took her hand in his and Anna looked up at him. "Velkan is dead, but Jen is going to be around for an awfully _long_ time. You may have lost your brother, but you shouldn't loose your brother's daughter too."

Anna stood frozen in place, thinking. He was right. She looked up at him and smiled slightly. Anna kissed his cheek and then left the room to go talk to her niece. Van Helsing, his hand over the place where she kissed him, watched her go. He was alone for only moments before he heard something.

"You two are so cute like that."

His daughter then appeared in the doorway, a small smirk on her face. Van Helsing lowered his hand with a smile. Beth just looked at him, her arms crossed.

"I should've known that you'd be slinking around somewhere outside." He told her. Beth shrugged and her smirk turned into a smile. My God! She looked _exactly_ like her mother when she did that!

"Mori's hiding outside Jen's door to see how it goes." Beth replied.

"You two are a well-oiled team, huh?"

"We have to be." Beth answered. "Otherwise there is this terrible and inconvenient problem of getting killed."

Van Helsing smiled widely and nodded. Well, it was the truth. Especially in this line of work.

"Want to go riding?" Van Helsing asked the teen before him rather suddenly.

Beth replied smiling.

"Just try and keep up."

---

The night was clear and calm. Bethany was glad for it. Eclipse galloped through the trees at a good pace, carrying Beth on her back. Van Helsing was slightly behind her on his own dark brown horse, Ashe. Beth was smiling widely, enjoying the freedom of the moment and off the ride. Finally, she slowed Eclipse to a steady walk. The horse deserved a rest…and her father needed to catch up with her. Ashe pulled up even with Eclipse and began to walk as well. Beth turned to her father and smiled.

"You really know how to handle a horse." Van Helsing told her. Beth shrugged slightly.

"I've been riding since I was eight." The girl replied.

"Isn't that when you first came to the Order?" Van Helsing asked.

Beth nodded. "Yes, it was. Carl taught me how."

"Carl?" Van Helsing asked, half laughing at this startling new information.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Beth asked him, her smile wide. Laughter glittered in her green eyes as well. Van Helsing nodded. Come to think of it, he had taught Carl how to ride _better_. Carl had already known how to ride when Van Helsing arrived, but not well. Van Helsing quickly fixed that.

"Carl was the first person I met when I came to the Order, with the exception of Cardinal Jinette of course." Beth continued.

"You said that you lived with your grandparents until then?"

Beth nodded. "They died three days after I turned eight. Talk about a happy birthday present." The girl mumbled sarcastically before she went on. "I then went to the church for help. My grandparents were definitely loyal to the church. Ever since I was really little, my grandmother told me that the church was a safe haven and that they'd protect you. Well, no bigger church than the Vatican, so naturally I thought no safer place."

"Makes sense to me." Van Helsing replied. "I was found crawling up the steps half dead…and the Cardinal has been kind enough to remind me of that every five minutes."

"Well," Beth said nodding to the side and raising her eyebrows before lowering them quickly. "that's not good, is it?"

"No, it's not." Van Helsing answered. "When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything, well, except for my name. Carl was in the room when I woke up. He was absolutely petrified of me."

"Did you look scruffy?" Beth asked him with a slight smile. For some reason, it wasn't that hard to picture Carl afraid of Van Helsing. Heck, Carl was afraid of Mori! Then again, most sane people were afraid of Mori.

"That would be a huge understatement." Van Helsing replied as he smiled. Beth laughed slightly as she stopped Eclipse and jumped off her back. Gabriel stopped his own horse and dismounted as well. Bethany lead Eclipse to the river so the horse could drink and rest. Van Helsing did the same with his own steed. As he did so, the monster hunter continued to explain his appearance to his daughter.

"I had a beard that I hadn't shaved in at least three days and all my clothes were torn and bloody."

"You must have looked like something the cat spit up." Beth guessed.

"As a matter of fact, I did. Carl thought that I was some sort of brainless, man-destroying Neanderthal."

"I bet." Beth said, a small smile on her lips. She then turned to him as she picked up a few stones in her hand. "Remember when we first met?"

Van Helsing smiled. "I do."

As he watched Beth throw stones in the river, the monster hunter was thrown back into the past. It was eight years ago, four years after he had joined the Order. Van Helsing had gone into the lab to see if Carl wanted him to save the little friar any lunch. The monster hunter knew that Carl was involved with something and would probably forget to eat if Van Helsing didn't remind him. As he made his way toward the lab, he could hear Carl shouting.

"Faster! Faster please!"

Van Helsing saw that he was trying to put two things together with sparks…again. There was a man behind him that looked like he was riding a bicycle only it was attacked to a few more machines. The man on the contraption was strapped in pretty well and was on a raised platform. Van Helsing just shook his head. Typical Carl. Gabriel then saw an eight year old girl standing next to the friar. Her dark hair was pulled back and her green eyes easily reflected the torch light in the room. This was young Bethany.

"Carl, I don't think…" the girl jumped when she heard the man who had been running the machine scream in pain and fear. She whirled around to see that the contraption had caught fire!

"Oh my…hold still!" Beth screamed as she ran up the stairs to the platform so she could help the man, who was feverously working to free himself from the straps. In either a feat of bravery or stupidity, Bethany managed to un-strap the man from the machine. The man scrambled away only seconds before the device sent out a large burst of flame. The girl jumped back with a shriek and missed the edge of the platform. She fell from the stand and landed gently in Van Helsing's waiting arms. The monster hunter looked at the girl and then at Carl as he laughed slightly.

"Hey Carl! Look what I caught!" Van Helsing told the friar as she showed off his prize.

"Van Helsing, that is my assistant." Carl told him as he walked over toward the two. Van Helsing looked at her and raised one eyebrow playfully.

"She seems a little young for you, Carl." Van Helsing teased his friend.

"Ewww! Gross!" Beth squeaked as Van Helsing gently set her on her feet. Her reaction got a laugh from Van Helsing.

"Beth," Carl began. "This us Gabriel Van Helsing. Van Helsing, this is Bethany Monroe. She arrived here last week."

Van Helsing tipped the brim of his hat toward the girl.

"A pleasure."

Van Helsing then returned to the present. Beth noticed that he was looking at her oddly and raised her eyebrows at her father.

"What?" she asked him.

"You were cuter then."

Beth shook her head and laughed at his reply. "I was innocent then."

"You were eight then."

"I'm sixteen now."

"Really?" Van Helsing asked her teasingly. "When did that happen? I thought you were nine."

Beth glared at her father. "And I thought you were thirteen."

"That's a really bad…"

"Yeah, I know."

The two laughed slightly at each other. There were definitely loosing it. Beth sighed quietly and then sat on the bank in order to watch the water gently roll over the stones. Van Helsing sunk down on the ground next to her. The monster hunter put an arm around the girl. Beth smiled at him.

"Do you remember mom at all?" Beth asked him suddenly. The question kind of caught Van Helsing off guard. After a moment of thought, he nodded.

"Yes. Once I remembered that you were my daughter, the memories flooded back to me." Van Helsing turned to he and smiled warmly. "You have her eyes. You look almost exactly like her in fact. Except for one thing, Eli's hair was black and your's isn't."

"Eli?" Beth asked him, a little confused.

"It was my pet name for your mom…midget." Gabriel replied with a slight smirk.

"Oh." Beth replied as she returned his smile. "Got it…Gabe."

Van Helsing's smirk grew into a large smile.

"How did I ever get stuck with you?" he asked.

"Where have you been?" Beth answered in a question.

Gabriel just gave her a quick squeeze around her shoulders.

"Gone for far too long."


	27. Near Death Experiences

**CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN**

Upon Van Helsing and Beth's return, Mori informed them that Anna and Jen had made up. This relieved both of them greatly. This was just one less thing that they had to deal with. Mori also told them that Carl had succeeded in blowing something up…again. No one was really surprised at this. That was just Carl being Carl.

A few days passed and finally, things had gone back to normal or as normal as things ever got for them. Beth and Mori relished in the calmness of the days. They were wise enough to know that it wouldn't last very long. Since the days were calmer, Beth and Mori would go riding when they got tired of being in the manor, which was often. However, they each did it for different reasons. Beth did it for the fresh air and the chance to clear her head out a little. Mori went riding to make sure that Beth returned unharmed. The dark girl knew that her friend's survival was the most important thing even though Beth herself didn't even know it. Mori also knew one more thing…this was her last mission. She wasn't surviving this.

One evening, Beth and Mori went on their usual ride. Beth had invited Jen and the young Valerious had taken them up on that offer. The night was nice and cool with a slight breeze coming from the north, making it even cooler. Mori and Jen didn't notice the temperature change at all, but Bethany did. She had to button her coat to keep from getting chilly.

"Well, this is nice." Jen said during their ride. Jen was riding even with Bethany, whose green eyes were a little distant. She must have been thinking. Mori was slightly behind them, silently and unknown to her friends, keeping watch. Upon hearing Jen speak, Beth smiled slightly and turned to her.

"Now you know why I do it." Beth said. Jen smiled back at her.

"So princess," Mori sighed, sounding rather bored with the small talk. "How's life treating you?"

"Not bad." Jen replied as she turned around slightly to look at Mori. "Thanks to that talk you had with Anna."

"Who told you that?"

Jen quickly looked down at her lap and Beth's green eyes just traveled up to look at the stars.

"Bethany." Mori said.

"Hum?" Beth asked as she looked at Mori as innocently as she could. Mori just glared at her.

"It slipped! I swear!" the young huntress defended herself. Jen smiled slightly when Mori just shook her head at Beth.

"Seriously Mori, thank you. It really helped, whatever you did." Jen told her.

Mori just shrugged. "I do what I can."

Suddenly, Eclipse whined and began to fidget, making it hard to Bethany to control her horse. The girl did her best to steady her, but nothing worked. She also hadn't noticed that Mori and Jen's own steeds had also become jumpy.

"Eclipse, stop it!" Bethany ordered. Mori, finally getting control of her horse, looked up and instantly understood why the horses were scared.

"She has reason to be worried." Mori said merely seconds after Eclipse and Jen's horse were finally brought under control.

"What do you mean?" Jen asked her. A low growl then cut through the cold night air. Beth and Jen tensed up instantly.

"Werewolf." Mori stated only moments before the creature jumped from the brush. The three girls spurred their horses along down the path at full gallop. The wolf was close on their tail, worrying Bethany quite a bit.

"Mori?" Beth asked.

"I can't." Mori replied, already knowing what the girl was going to ask. "That would involve eye contact and I really don't think it would be a good idea to attempt to turn this horse around."

"Then we should split up." Jen suggested.

"I don't like the idea," Mori stated, but then glanced behind her to see that the werewolf was slowly gaining on them. "but it seems we have no other choice."

"When and where?" Beth asked them.

"The stables in one hour and if you die, I will bring you back to life and kill you myself." Mori answered.

"Fair enough." The young Van Helsing replied. Mori turned off the path. Jen was about to guide her horse into the woods when the wolf pounced and dug it's claws into the backside of her steed. Jen screamed slightly in fear and surprise. Upon hearing Jen scream and without any hesitation, Beth pulled the young Valerious onto Eclipse without ever stopping. Jen's horse was brought down with a neigh of fright. Jen lost sight of it as Eclipse galloped of the path.

"Think we lost it?" Jen asked. Beth glanced back to see the werewolf burst out from the brush, it's nose covered in the blood of Jen's late horse.

"No." Beth answered quickly and dug her heels into her steed's side to make her go faster. The creature chased after them and kept getting closer and closer. Every time that the young Van Helsing thought that it got too close, she would spur her horse ahead. They couldn't keep this chase up much longer and both girls knew it. Eclipse would eventually tire out and what then? The girls would be sunk, that's what. The wolf grabbed the horse's tail and pulled. Eclipse whined in pain as Beth and Jen were flung from the saddle. Both of them hit the ground with a painful thud, but Beth wasted no time in pulling out her revolver. Upon looking back at the werewolf, the girl was shocked to see that it had backed off. It was almost as if someone had told it to do so. A low growl emitted from the wolf's throat before it vanished back through the brush.

After a moment of waiting and being frozen in place, Beth pushed herself to her feet. Her right side protested, but she ignored it. She would definitely be bruised in the morning. The girl was still on alert with her revolver out and ready. In her three years as a field agent, Beth knew that werewolves never backed off without a reason. The huntress went over to Jen and helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" Beth asked her friend.

"Yeah, you?"

"We'll have to see." Beth answered. "For the moment, I'm fine."

The wind picked up suddenly, blowing leaves and dust around. Jen closed her eyes while Beth just squinted and raised her arm over her eyes. She tried to see, but couldn't so she strained her ears for any noise. What she heard was flapping. The wind died down and Beth lowered her arm while Jen opened her eyes.

"We better go." Beth half suggested, half ordered. Of course, they also had to find Eclipse, who ran off after her little incident. Jen just nodded vigorously in agreement with her friend. The two turned to go, but froze when they saw that their way was blocked by Dracula and Aleera.

"Too late." Beth mumbled unhappily at their misfortune.

"Hello girls." Aleera hissed at them, clearly thirsty for blood. Beth backed up a step and put an arm in front of Jen, making the young Valerious step back as well.

"Well, well," Dracula began as he inspected them. "One of your party seems to be missing. Tell me, where is Morianalynn?"

His only answer was complete silence and an angry glare from Bethany. Calmly, the vampire turned to his bride.

"Aleera, my dear, please go find her. I'd hate for her to miss this."

"I'd love to." Aleera laughed and then vanished into the sky. Dracula wasted no time in attacking the girls the instant the red head was gone. He shoved Bethany, sending her flying back. Her gun flew from her hand and the girl hit the ground on her injured right side. A moan of pain escaped her lips when she hit it.

"Leave her alone!" Jen screamed at him as she flew toward him. The vampire grabbed her by the throat and threw her into a tree. Jen hit it head on and collapsed to the ground.

"Jen!" Beth screamed and tried to get to her fallen friend, but Dracula blocked her way. He swung and caught Beth in the jaw. The girl flew back with blood gushing from the open cut in her lower lip. She just had to find her revolver. It wouldn't do much against the vampire, but it was at least a weapon! Her eyes frantically searched the leaf-covered ground around the clearing. No weapon met her eyes. Suddenly, the girl was jerked back so she was face to face with the Count.

"You are far too stubborn." He hissed at her.

"Then go ahead and kill me, why don't you?" Bethany growled at him defiantly. This clearly angered him and Beth had to hold back a smirk. She loved to annoy him! The vampire threw the girl into a tree and she collapsed on the ground. Jen, obviously worried by her expression, rushed to aid her friend. Her plans were foiled, however, when Dracula stopped her. He held the girl up by the throat so her feet were dangling in the air. Jen had grabbed onto his wrist with both her hands to try and free herself, but had no such luck.

"If there is one thing that I don't understand about you, Jennifer, is how you managed to keep your soul after I almost killed you." Dracula told her.

"Only Beth and Mori know that." Jen replied as she continued to try to free herself. Again, her attempts were in vain.

"Well, I won't make that mistake twice." The vampire hissed at her.

His fangs grew larger at the prospect of blood, but roared in pain when a dagger hit him square in the back. He pulled it out and calmly inspected it, ignoring his own blood on the blade. From the design, he knew that it was Bethany's. The vampire turned to see the young huntress glaring at him with her green eyes flaming in rage.

"Thank you for assisting in Jennifer's murder." He said with a terrible smile. Before Beth could move or even think about it, Dracula plunged the dagger in Jen's heart.

"No!" Beth screamed in protest, taking a step forward. She froze when she heard a loud bang. Dracula was forced to step back from the impact of the blow. Three more shouts sounded and Beth saw that the marksman was none other than Mori. Dracula, his damage done, quickly transformed and flew away in a hail of bullets. Mori kept shooting at him till the revolver clicked empty.

"Jen!" Mori said in concern as she quickly turned to the fallen girl. Beth was already at the young Valerious' side and kneeling next to her on the ground. Worry was written all over her features. Mori's expression wasn't much better. After seeing the condition of their friend, her face was very grim. Beth, desperate to do something about this, freed the blade from Jen's chest. It was covered in blood, as were the huntress' hands. The girl watched hopefully, but nothing happened.

"Why isn't she healing?" Beth asked and turned to Mori, hoping for an answer.

"She's lost too much blood." Mori answered. Beth bit her lower lip, thinking. She looked at the blade in her hand sadly. It was her fault. If she could've done something, if she can still do something…An idea then came to her. Beth stuck the dagger in the ground at her side and turned to Mori.

"Hold her up." The girl instructed, her face set and determined.

"What are you doing?" Mori demanded, worried that whatever was in Beth's head wasn't exactly a good idea.

"Just hold her up." Beth almost growled at her. Mori, not liking it one bit, did so.

Beth closed her eyes and put one hand over Jen's wound and then placed her other hand over her hand that was already there. The girl's hands began glowing with white light and Beth kept pooling her energy so she could use it on Jen's wound. The girl's deep gash slowly began healing. Bethany kept pouring her energy and her concentration into what she was doing. Healing took a _lot_ of energy. It usually took so much that the girl usually didn't have any left to spare. Not to mention that healing was also very complicated. When Beth healed herself, she really didn't have to think about it because it was natural. Healing other people was an entirely different story. It used a large amount of power, energy and concentration, leaving the person who did the healing exhausted and weak for a good length of time. Beth felt herself growing weaker and weaker. She finally had to stop to keep from blacking out.

"Did it work?" Beth asked leaning back and closing her eyes. Mori looked at Jen's wound. It wasn't getting any smaller.

"No."

Bethany opened her eyes and saw what Mori said was true. She sighed sadly and ran her fingers through her hair. She had feared that it would come down to this.

"Desperate times…" Beth mumbled. She exhaled as she raised her right wrist and closed her eyes. Mori, realizing what Bethany was going to do, quickly grabbed it firmly. The young huntress opened her eyes and turned to see Mori glaring at her unhappily.

"Don't you even dare, Bethany."

"We have to at least try, Mori." Beth argued.

"Then let me do it."

"Mori, you and I both know that your blood won't work. It has to be mine."

The seconds ticked by as Mori thought. Beth wished that she would hurry up and decide to let her do this. Precious seconds that they couldn't get back were gone, maybe even wasted. Bethany knew very well that time was against them now. Mori looked at Beth and then at Jen. Oh, why did Bethany have to be right!

"Fine." Mori grumbled, obviously not liking her decision very much. Slowly, she let go of Beth's wrist. Beth looked down At Jen and pulled the sleeve of her coat and shirt back.

"C'mon Jen." Beth half urged and half prayed. "Don't give in on us now."

Beth's head was throbbing with pain that was almost blinding and the world was beginning to get fuzzy, but she was far too stubborn to give up just yet. If she did, Jen was a goner. The girl lowered her wrist over Jen's mouth. She flinched in pain when she pushed her wrist into Jen's teeth, which cut into her flesh and Bethany began bleeding. After a few moments of nothing, Beth then felt it. Jen began pulling the life blood from her veins. Beth felt herself growing weaker as more and more precious blood was drained from her. It was becoming hard to even stay conscious. Still, she couldn't stop till Jen's wound was healed. She and Mori were keeping a close eye on it as it did so. Finally, the gash was healed completely and Beth tried to pull away. However, she found that she didn't have the strength to do so.

"Jen…" Bethany tried to speak, but it only came out in a whisper.

"Jen!" Mori growled angrily and pulled Jen away from Beth, who quickly pulled her wrist into her chest and closed her eyes to focus them. Jen's eyes flashed open and they instantly landed on Bethany. Jen was shocked to see how weak she looked.

"What happened?" Jen asked worriedly and tasted the blood in her mouth.

"You." Mori said with a hint of anger and annoyance in her voice. Her face was set sternly as well. With only look at her eyes, you could tell that Mori was furious. "You almost _killed_ her."

"I…but…I couldn't have!" Jen said in horror.

"Mori, I'm fine." Beth told her softly. She pushed herself up to stand, fighting off was wave of dizziness and nausea as she did so. Her knees were shaking, so she leaned on a tree for support. It was obvious that this took a lot of effort on her part even though she was trying not to show it. Jen and Mori were immediately at her side, both of them concerned.

"I'm fine." Beth told them both with a small smile. "Really, I am."

"I don't believe you." Mori told her quickly in response. Beth smiled slightly at this. Mori never believed her when it came to things like this.

"Then that's your problem, isn't it?" the young huntress told the dark girl teasingly. "Cover your ears, both of you."

Mori and Jen did so questioningly. Bethany put her fingers to her lips and a loud, high-pitched whistle rang through the air. She knew that with a vampire's sensitive hearing and at their close range, the noise would've hurt the ears of her friends. After a moment of waiting, Eclipse galloped into the clearing as the two vampires uncovered their ears. The black horse trotted over to its master, she petted her nose.

"Good girl." Beth whispered to her.

"We better get going." Mori said sternly and then glanced at Jen through the side of her eyes.

"We don't want anymore life-threatening incidents tonight."

- - -

Back at the manor, after a _long_ nap, Beth was feeling worlds better. She had learned the art of power napping at a young age. Even a few hours were enough to get her through almost anything. Also, naps were a good way to recharge her energy, which was the source of her powers. Therefore, she knew it was best not to have those in short supply. There was sitting on the edge of her bed reading a book when Mori came in the room. Beth looked up when she entered. Mori, without saying a word, moved to sit in the chair next to Beth's bed.

"What's wrong?" Beth asked, sensing the bad aurora around the dark girl. She was upset about something. Mori turned to her, not looking very happy.

"What you did with Jen, it was reckless and it could have cost you your life."

"I was just trying to…"

"I know." Mori cut the girl off. "But we need you _alive,_ Bethany."

"Why should it matter?" Beth asked. "Why should I be the only one to survive this? I'm a big girl, Mori. I can take care of myself and you certainly don't have to be so overprotective of me."

Mori sighed in exasperation. She knew that she'd be the one to have to tell her this, no matter how much she didn't want to believe it. Mori spoke, her tone soft and calm.

"I have by reasons."

Calmly, Mori pulled out the _Immortalis Chronicles_ from under her cloak. Beth just looked up at her questioningly. What could that book have anything to do with this?

"The others found it while you were asleep, so they know." Mori began.

"Bethany…it's time you know my reasons.


	28. The Prophecy

**CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT**

Beth sensed immediately by Mori's composure that something was _seriously_ wrong. If something was wrong and Mori was concerned about it, the girl knew that this couldn't be good for them at all. Mori opened the book toward the back of it. After flipping through a few pages, she pointed to a passage that took up the entire page and handed it to Bethany. The girl took the book in her hands and read the page that Mori had pointed out to her.

_One half dark_

_The other half light_

_Once were allies_

_Finally fight_

_If light should win, oh so pale_

_Then the good shall avail_

_But if the dark should win the fight_

_The world will fall into eternal night_

Beth kept reading and found that there were three words written underneath it in the margins in long, curvy hand writing.

_Morianalynn_ _and_ _Bethany_.

"What?" Beth asked looking up at Mori. The dark girl answered, her face as solid as stone.

"It's a prophecy. Basically, if you die before I do, the world is doomed."

Beth had no idea what to say to this new information, so Mori continued at her silence.

"It also means that one of us…" Mori paused for a moment. She still couldn't believe what she was about to say. There was just no way that it could possibly only end that way. "One of us…has to kill the other."

"What!" Beth shrieked. She couldn't kill Mori! Mori was like a sister to her! There was just no possible way! "Mori, there absolutely no way that I'm…"

"When the time comes, Bethany, you may have to." Mori cut her off. "You see now why we need you alive. No more stunts like the one you pulled with Jen ever again…I mean it."

"Did you know?" Beth asked, her mind still trying to grasp the fact that she was going to have to kill her best friend. Mori sighed and looked down. She knew that she wouldn't like the answer she was about to give. The dark girl then returned her gaze to Beth.

"The day after we got the book back."

"And you didn't tell me?" Beth asked shocked as she stood up.

"I didn't want to worry you." Mori answered calmly as she sat completely still in her chair.

"But Mori…"

"Before you scold me for protecting you, think about it for a moment." Mori interrupted her, her voice firm and leaving no room for negotiation. "You've changed since I found this out Bethany. We all have. Tell me, what would your reaction have been then?"

Beth remained silent.

"Exactly."

Bethany sighed in defeat and sunk to sit back on the edge of her bed. It just couldn't be. She couldn't kill Mori. It would be like killing her own father! She just couldn't do it. But if the world was relying on her, could she? If it was the only way, could she find the courage to kill someone that she would do anything to protect? She honestly couldn't answer that question.

"So…are we _really_ going to…" she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Not all prophecies come true." Mori answered her.

"Why not?"

"There are just too many of them." Mori stated calmly. "But, if it is true, you have to stay alive to beat me. It's either that, or the world is destroyed."

Beth remained silent for a moment, lost in the information that she had just learned. Finally, she sighed.

"Alright. I'll be more careful."

"You better." Mori told her and then turned to her friend and almost smiled. "I'd hate to have to rule the world."

- - -

For the next few days, things were a little on edge for obvious reasons. Beth and Mori were each doing their best to act as if nothing had chanced. Still, it wasn't all that easy to do. There was always that nagging knowledge in the back her their heads. Neither of them wanted to acknowledge it or give power to that notion, but it was always there shadowing their every thought. One of them was going to die.

Van Helsing had become even more overprotective of Bethany than he had ever been before. Mori, also, was looking out for her. She was still doing everything she could to make sure that Beth was the one who survived this mess. Therefore, Van Helsing and Mori had joined together for the same cause. Frankly, Beth didn't blame them one bit.

One evening, Van Helsing saw Beth walking towards the door of the library. They were alone and had been researching all day. Beth was a little stiff from all that sitting, but she fixed that by stretching a little as she walked to the door.

"Where you going midget?" Van Helsing asked his daughter.

"A training session with Mori." Beth replied calmly. She noticed that her father tensed up a little when the words 'training session' and 'Mori' were used in the same sentence.

"Mind if I come along?" he asked.

"It's fine with me." Beth answered, knowing exactly why he wanted to come. He wanted to make sure that Mori didn't kill her. "You'll just have to clear it with Mori too."

"Joy." Van Helsing mumbled sarcastically, making Beth smile slightly. She was beginning to really take notice of the little things that she always missed, like her father's sarcasm. With the whole prophecy thing hanging over her, she knew that she possibly didn't have long left to live. She ended up asking herself, 'what do you do when you know your life is going to end?' Beth had begun taking notice of the things that always made her laugh, like Carl. She also looked back on her life and the good friends that she was fortunate enough to enter and effect her life. She wanted to say good-bye to them without really saying goodbye, which made things rather difficult. She wrote a letter to Will, who was back at the Order. It was really just filled with the things they usually talked about, like life, assignments, odd conspiracy theories and weaponry. Still, something about that letter didn't seem right to Beth. She felt like that she could've said more. She sent it anyway, whether she liked it or not. Will would be glad to get it and that's really what mattered.

Van Helsing and Beth found Mori already in the training room. She was sitting on one the side benches with her legs crossed and her nose in a book. Beth wasn't really surprised. This was _Mori_, after all. She looked up when she heard them enter. She seemed a little surprised to see Van Helsing as well as Beth.

"Yes?" she asked the monster hunter.

"Do you mind if I watch you and Beth train?" he asked her.

"Not at all." Mori answered as she closed her book and stood up. "You may even learn something."

Van Helsing nodded and moved to a chair in the corner of the room. He watched the girls as they talked. Mori set her book down on the bench and looked back at Bethany.

"How hard were you planning on going today?" the girl asked Mori.

"As hard as usual."

Beth nodded and slipped her coat off her shoulders. If they were going 'as hard as usual' then that meant that her coat would only slow her down. Mori reached up, unclasped her cloak, set it aside and a small smiled formed in her eyes.

"Maybe even harder."

Beth raised her eyebrows at her in surprise. They were usually going hard to begin with, but harder than that? The girl sighed heavily.

"I'll sleep well tonight." The girl mumbled.

"You can count on it, dear Bethany." Mori said as she passed Beth and moved to the other side of the room. Beth set her coat next to Mori's cloak and moved out onto the training mat that covered a large majority of the floor. Mori then turned back to the girl. "Ready Sunshine?"

"When you are."

"I'll start then." Mori said. Beth just nodded in response. Mori quickly dived forward and Beth dove to the side to avoid her. As she went by, Mori grabbed Beth's wrist. She threw the girl to the ground with incredible speed. Beth hit the floor with a painful thud. She quickly flung her leg out and hit Mori's ankles. The dark girl was swept off her feet and landed hard on the floor not too far away from where Beth had landed moments earlier.

"You're learning faster than I thought you would." Mori told her.

Van Helsing just raised an eyebrow. He was surprised at the intensity of their training. It was really like they were fighting each other. Neither of them was holding anything back. Why were they doing this? Why were they exhausting themselves when the outcome didn't matter? It was only training. Van Helsing had to think for a moment before it suddenly came to him. Mori had suggested a long while ago that the two train together. Beth, being Beth, really didn't question her motives and accepted. She had known about the prophecy long before he and the others did. Mori had known when she asked Bethany to train with her. Mori was doing everything in her power to make sure that Beth was the one who won. This caused Van Helsing to come to an almost shocking conclusion; he and Mori truly wanted the same thing.

After about twenty more minutes, both girls finally stopped. Beth was breathing hard and was pouring sweat. She looked exhausted and looked like she could fall over at any moment. Mori was breathing harder than usual herself. Van Helsing stood up, thinking their session was over. He was wrong. Beth and Mori moved outside and ended up doing more training. There was small difference this time though; they used their powers. Beth put up one heck of a fight, but Mori still won five out of five fights. This worried Van Helsing and Mori quite a bit. Beth would've been worried as well had she not been so tired. What happened if Beth couldn't beat Mori when the time came? Neither Mori nor Van Helsing wanted to even think about that.

Jen came out after a while and asked if they wanted to go for a ride.

"Sure, I could stand a break." Mori replied.

"Thank goodness." Beth said tiredly and fell back on the ground with her arms out wide. She closed her eyes, a small smirk on her face. "Wake me in three days."

"Oh, come now. It wasn't _that_ bad." Mori said as she moved to stand over Bethany. Beth's eyes snapped open and looked up at her dark friend.

"Easy for you to say. You didn't have to fight you."

A smirk formed in Mori's eyes as she offered the girl on the ground a hand. Beth took it and Mori helped her to her feet.

"I think I'll come with you." Van Helsing said.

"Oh joy, now it's a family outing." Mori mumbled. Beth just looked at her and had to smile.

"C'mon, Mori. We can't be that bad." Van Helsing said. Mori just shook her head, so Beth answered for her.

"You haven't seen Jen on caffeine."

The ride through the woods was calm, much to everyone's relief. They were only gone for about an hour and a half or so. Beth started dozing off, so they decided to head back so she wouldn't fall asleep at the reins and fall off. Beth full-heartedly agreed.

"Anna! Carl! We're back!" Jen called as they walked through the doors of Valerious Manor. Beth leaned on the wall as her father shut the door behind them. It was warmer inside the hall than it had been outside. Then again, that was to be expected. This was Transylvania after all. It was going to be cold. After a few long moments, nothing but silence reached their ears.

"I'll go find them." Beth sighed as she stood up, knowing that she'd probably fall asleep soon if she didn't keep moving. "I'll meet you guys in the library later."

"Don't be long Bethany." Mori told her and they went their separate ways.

About an hour later, Beth suddenly appeared in the library. Van Helsing, Mori and Jen were all surprised by this. They all thought that Beth had fallen asleep by now. What really worried them more than her sudden appearance was the look on her face. She had been running and was out of breath. That was evident by her chest, which was heaving up and down and the loudness of her gasps. She looked horrified.

"What's wrong, midget?" Van Helsing asked her worriedly.

"They're gone." Beth said frantically. "Both of them. Anna and Carl, they're gone!"

Bethany held out a piece of parchment. Van Helsing lurched forward and plucked it from her hand. After a moment of him reading it in silence, he decided that it was something they all needed to hear.

"Don't worry, your friends are in my company. You shall see them soon. Until then, Count Vladislaus Dragulia."

"He's taken them!" Jen exclaimed. "This can't be!"

"But it is." Beth answered sadly. "I can't find them anywhere."

"But…their rooms," Van Helsing started, half hoping that he'd get something more and half hoping that what she said wasn't true.

"They've been trashed." Beth cut him off.

"But…why? Why would Dracula want Anna and Carl?" Jen asked.

"Does he _need_ a reason?" Mori asked calmly even though anger shown in her eyes. Why did her father always have to ruin everything! She took a deep breath to think for a moment. Why would her father want Carl and Anna and not come after them? It didn't really make much sense. Could he be going after her friends and allies to get to her, indirectly? Or was he trying to set something in motion?

"He's picking us off." Mori finally said. "He's getting us alone at one time and kidnapping us. It's easier that way to get all of us in his grasp. Once we are, he can get rid of us all in one swift move."

"Then we have to find them." Jen said. Beth and Mori just looked at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking. Van Helsing caught the look and just couldn't help but ask.

"What?"

Mori just looked at him. "The last million times Dracula has kidnapped us, where were we kept?"

It took Van Helsing and Jen a moment to process what Mori had just said. The instant they got it, the four of them dashed to the mirror.

---

Bethany was the last one to step into the castle behind her father. Something was different about it. It looked uninhabited. The torches were out and now fires burned in the windows of the castle.

"Be careful." Van Helsing warned his daughter. "It could be a trap."

"Don't worry." Beth replied pulling her trusty revolver out of her coat.

"I've heard that before." Mori commented. Beth just glared at her for a few moments. Mori took no notice or didn't show it if she did. The small group searched the castle from top to bottom, which took quite a long time since the castle was gigantic. It took them three hours to search the castle. They came up with nothing. No one was there.

"They aren't here." Jen said sounding defeated. Mori sighed irately. The one time he gets smart and it had to be now.

"It seems my father finally realized that he needed a new hiding place to keep his prisoners." Mori said and looked at Beth. She looked tired and even more worried than she was tired. Van Helsing put and arm around her shoulders and Beth leaned into him. She looked like that she would either fall asleep at any moment or collapse. Beth really didn't want anyone to know, but she was scared. Why pick them off like this? What was he panning to do or doing to Carl and Anna? Would she see them again? She honestly didn't know and almost didn't want to answer that question.

"What do we do now?" Jen asked. She sounded like she was holding back tears.

"We go back and think of another plan." Van Helsing answered. Beth then spoke, her voice soft and sounded more mature than Jen ever thought it could sound.

"That's all we can do."


	29. Only Ones Left

6

**CHAPTER TWENTY NINE**

Dracula was feeling very smug. Two down, two to go. Young Jennifer would be easy to capture, but _keeping_ her posed as a problem. She was a vampire and that meant she had special talents that needed to be taken into consideration in her capture and her bonds that would keep her in captivity. No matter. He had already solved that problem. Being a vampire himself, he knew what would and would not be appropriate for that task. Capturing the great Van Helsing would be quite a challenge however. This intrigued him. He loved nothing more than a good challenge.

Once that was accomplished, he would have what he wanted. After Morianalynn killed Bethany for him, the others would fall like flies. He would win and _nothing_ could stop him.

Nothing…except two very angry teenage girls.

- - -

Bethany walked into the library to find that Mori and Jen were still pouring over maps. It was early in the morning, so Beth had her trusty cup of coffee in hand. Sometimes she didn't know if she could get on without the stuff.

"Did you two sleep at all?" Beth asked them.

"Is it dawn already?" Mori asked looking up at the girl. Beth just nodded and met her gaze.

"Past it."

"Oh." Mori said and looked over toward Jen to see what she would think. Jen was asleep in her chair. Beth followed her gaze and smiled slightly when she saw the young Valerious. She wasn't really surprised. Beth then turned back to Mori.

"How did you manage to stay awake?" she asked her dark friend.

"One: I'm an insomniac. Two: I don't need to sleep. Three: coffee."

Beth almost laughed as she sat down in a chair, but didn't because of the circumstances that she was in. If two of her friends had not been kidnapped and she didn't have the knowledge that she'd have to kill Mori, she would've let herself laugh.

"Any new developments?" she asked instead.

"None whatsoever." Mori answered as she shook her head.

"Well, we'll find something." Beth replied half heartedly. She didn't want to admit it, but her hope was slowly dwindling away. This mission had taken its toll on her, mentally, physically and emotionally. She was exhausted and almost numb to the thoughts of despair creeping around her. Still, she did her best not to give them any thought. Just because she was trying, however, didn't mean that it worked all the times.

Mori just nodded and looked back over at Jen. She closed the book she was reading and threw it at the sleeping girl. The book landed in her lap with a loud thud, making Jen jump awake.

"Go to bed, princess." Mori told her. Jen mumbled something that not even Mori understood as the girl got up and left the room.

"I'll take over where she left off." Beth said as she got up and moved to where Jen had been sitting.

"I'd appreciate the help." Mori said a soft smile playing in her eyes at the edges of her lips. Beth smiled back at her as she pulled out a map and the search began once again. The day went by and the girls barely noticed since they were working. The sun lowered in the sky and they didn't notice that it had set till Beth realized she couldn't read the words on the maps anymore because it had gotten so dark. She lit a few candles and then continued pouring over maps once again. By nightfall, the girls had compiled a list of where Dracula could be in Transylvania. The grand total of places he could be; 39. Now began the process of elimination. So far, it was taking longer than finding a list of places.

"Girls?" Van Helsing's voice cut through their focus. They looked up to see the monster hunter sticking his head in the doorway.

"Yes, dad?" Beth answered.

"Jen and I are going to take care of the horses." He told them.

"Okay." Bethany replied nodded. "Give Eclipse a carrot for me."

"Will do midget."

"Thanks Gabe."

And then he was gone. Mori just rolled her eyes at the conversation that had just taken place. Beth saw the motion and turned to her with a questioning look on her face. Mori, in turn, saw the look that was being given to her.

"I will never understand you and your father." Mori told her.

"I'm not even sure if _I_ even understand my father and I, Mori. But what I do understand is that we have some kind of unspoken understanding." Beth replied smiling.

"I have to stop seeing you so much, Bethany." Mori said shaking her head. "You're beginning to sound like me."

That made Beth laugh, ever so slightly. Mori just had to smirk. Good, the old Bethany was still in there. Not the Bethany from the Order before they began this mission, but the 13 year old Bethany she had first met in that alleyway in London. It was nice to know that that girl was still in there under all the black leather, weapons and that hat she was forever wearing.

Twenty minutes went by with Mori and Beth checking sights and seeing if they could be eliminated or not. Suddenly, Beth's back went rigid. Something was terribly wrong. She could sense it. She didn't know how, but she could. There really wasn't a way to explain it. In some subconscious part of her mind, an alarm bell was going off to signal her conscious mind that something was not right in her corner of the world. Too bad there wasn't an alarm bell that let her know what it was. Mori noticed the girl's sudden change in composure, which caught her attention almost immediately.

"Are you alright, Bethany?" Mori asked her, knowing the answer would be 'no'.

"You mean you…" Beth stopped herself. Mori couldn't sense it? Then was Beth imagining this entire thing? "It's nothing."

_I've heard that before._ Mori mind-liked her.

_Stop that, Mori, please._

Mori just shrugged and went back to her map. "As you wish."

No sooner had the words left Mori's lips did they hear the whine of a horse. It sounded terrified. What really alarmed the two girls was the thunderous gunshot that sounded shortly afterward.

"Okay, it is something." Beth said. The two dashed out the door toward the stables. Mori made sure that she got there first, which she did, and for good reason. The dark girl ran inside, turned around and locked the doors closed so Bethany couldn't get in. Also, she didn't want her to have to see what she was seeing. The place was a wreck. A horse had been torn to pieces, it's gallons and gallons of blood soaking the ground, the other nervous horses and everything else in sight. The sweet, hot aroma filled Mori's nostrils, but she quickly ripped her mind away from the very thought.

The stable was dark, but Mori's eyes had already adjusted. She had no trouble seeing in the dark. She looked the place over once again with her icy eyes, hoping to find some detail she had missed. Over in the corner lay a small dark shape. It took her a moment to recognize the object as Van Helsing's hat. Mori went over to the corner and picked it up, ignoring Bethany's constant pounding on the door and her shouts to let her in. The dark girl looked over the ground. There were signs of a struggle, so one had obviously taken place. However, there were no bodies. They were gone.

"Damn." Mori swore quietly. This was not good. Dracula had taken two valuable members of their party, including Van Helsing. Bethany was not going to take this too well.

She then decided to leave. She had to get away from all the blood. It was driving her mad. Plus, Beth needed to know. Mori exited the stable, locking the door behind her.

"Mori…" Beth stopped when she saw the hat in Mori's hand. It was her father's. What was Mori doing with it? What happened? Mori held out the hat to Beth, who took it with shaking hands.

"Bethany," Mori began. "he's taken them."

"No!" Beth breathed clutching that hat to her chest. Her father! Dracula had taken her father! It just couldn't be! There was no way! But Beth only knew that there was no denying what happened. Her father was gone.

"But…" the young huntress licked her lips nervously as she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to run out of her eyes. "But…that means…"

Mori only nodded solemnly.

"We are the only ones left."


	30. Dark vs Light

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

A week had passed since the girls were left on their own. They had been pouring over maps ever since. Bethany was loosing sleep again. Mori was helping to fix that problem by sneaking strong sedatives into whatever she was drinking, usually coffee. That seemed to help a lot. Also, Beth was _trying_ to sleep. She knew that she couldn't get as weak as she had been the last time she lost sleep. It was far too dangerous if something unexpected happened. Beth wouldn't take that risk again and Mori wouldn't let her unknowingly take that risk again either.

Both of them were on edge. The knowledge that they had was enough to drive anyone to the brink of insanity. Still, they had to remain calm. Otherwise, Dracula would never be vanquished and the others would never be found. They poured over maps for a week, trying to decided where he was most likely hiding. Finally, they had no other option but to go look with their eyes.

And look they did. They found nothing. Everywhere was empty, well, everywhere they checked was. Beth was about ready to give up. Her heart told her not to though. She hadn't given up yet and saw no reason to start now. Her mind, however, couldn't help but think this was useless. Still, she couldn't give up. Her father was counting on her. Jen was counting on her. Ah heck! If that second prophecy was true, the entire _world_ was counting on her. That was a lot of pressure for a sixteen year old girl. All Beth could do was pray that she wouldn't go absolutely crazy!

"Are you feeling any better?" Mori asked Beth on one of their evening rides. They had been going over maps again all day and both girls needed the fresh air before they got an extreme case of cabin fever. Beth smiled softly before she turned to Mori and answered.

"Are you?"

Mori just gave her a small, comforting smile in return. It was the kind of smile that only Beth could notice because it was only in the dark girl's eyes.

"I thought so." Mori said. Beth sighed and turned her emerald eyes to the trail ahead.

"I'll feel better when everyone is back and safe." The young Van Helsing stated.

"I'll feel better when my father is dead."

"Everyone will agree with that statement." Beth said turning back to her dark friend. Mori nodded thoughtfully in response.

"Mori?"

"Yes, Bethany?"

"What would your mom say about all this?" Beth asked. Even after it passed her lips, she still wasn't sure if she should've asked it or not. Instead of being offended as Beth had feared, Mori just looked at her.

"What curiosity brought this question about?" Mori asked her, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I've just been thinking about my mom a lot lately." Beth answered. Mori nodded to show her understanding.

How long had it been since she thought about her mother? At least a decade, maybe more. Mori's entire life was about killing her father, so she was constantly thinking about him, what he wanted, how he planned to get it, and what his next move was. But her mother, Trissa, was a completely different story. Her mother had been a strong woman…and a pacifist, of all things. Had it not been for her, well, Mori had no idea where she'd be now.

"I guess I never really took the time to think about that." Mori said. "One thing is for sure, it was easier being Trissa Trice's daughter than Dracula's.

Beth smiled and nodded. "I bet."

"You're random, you know that?"

"Yeah."

Both girls looked at each other at that moment. Bethany was smiling widely while Mori's smile was hardly big enough to be called a that on a normal person, but Beth knew that it was a smile nonetheless.

"What about yours?"

"She'd say something like 'everything will be alright' and 'if this guy gets anywhere near me, I'll smack him with my rolling pin'." Beth replied with a smile.

"She almost sounds like your father." Mori told her.

"I think that's why he married her." Beth answered.

The girls came to a river and stopped. The horses needed to rest. While the animals had a nice reprieve, Mori and Beth calmly threw stones into the water, watching the splash they made once they hit the surface.

"This is good for letting out stress." Mori informed her friend.

"I can see why." Beth said as she threw another stone into the water.

Suddenly, they heard a laugh and the wind picked up. The horses whined in fear and galloped away as fast as their legs could carry them. The wind died down as suddenly as it picked up. The girls turned to see Dracula and Aleera before them.

"Hello my dears." Dracula said smiling. "Did you miss us?"

"Where are the others?" Mori demanded. Beth was glaring evilly at the red head as she fingered her trusty revolver that was in her coat. First, she took her mother and then her father. Enough was enough. Anger and hate pumped through her veins at even seeing Aleera. Mori, sensing the fury building up inside her friend, grabbed her wrist with a gloved hand to make sure that Bethany didn't do anything foolish. They couldn't handle those kind of mistakes now. Too much was on the line.

"That is for me to know, Morianalynn." The vampire replied. He smirked and began to circle the two of them. Mori pulled Beth closer behind her. This fight was meant to be between Dracula and her. If he so much as touched Bethany, Mori would kill him. She wouldn't let him hurt her. The vampire saw Mori being protective and an idea came to him.

"Aleera, will you please finish what you started." Dracula told his remaining bride. Aleera just smiled, her canines slowly growing into fangs.

"Gladly." She answered and then vanished.

The bride reappeared behind Beth in her bat form and lifted the girl up in the air before she or Mori had time to react. Bethany kicked and lashed about in an attempt to free herself. Aleera just laughed as she tightened her rip on Beth's wrist. The bride flew higher and further away from where they had been. The young huntress' mind raced as she mentally ran through her options. All of them ended with Beth falling, so she decided that that certain aspect of her idea would be unavoidable. The girl reached in her coat and pulled out her revolver. She fired up at the bride and hit Aleera in the face. The red head screamed in pain and fury. In her brief moments of distraction, Aleera dropped Bethany.

The young Van Helsing flew toward the ground. She fell through the trees, which was fairly painful. The smaller branches snapped off when she hit them and the thicker ones cut into her skin and hurt terribly when the girl hit them. Beth finally collapsed when she hit the ground. That way her joints wouldn't get hurt. Mori had taught her that little trick when Beth was only thirteen. Needless to say, it was a handy piece of information to have.

Bethany pushed herself up and quickly replaced the bullet she had used in her firearm. Since she was facing Aleera on her own, the girl knew that she'd need a full revolver. Suddenly, Beth had been shoved hard against the trunk of a tree and was being held there by Aleera. The bride smiled at her own success.

"I want you to know that your blood will keep me beautiful." Aleera hissed at her.

"Not tonight." Beth growled back and fired off. Aleera fell back with three bullets lodged in her gut. Beth quickly turned on her heel and dashed back toward where Mori had been. As she ran, Beth reached into her coat and wrapped her hand around another weapon, replacing her revolver in the process. Aleera unexpectedly tackled her from behind and sent the girl to the ground. She swore in her mind, but really didn't have time at the moment to reflect on her back luck. The bride began clawing at her in an attempt to trap and injure the girl. Beth thrashed out to try an free herself, but it wasn't working. Aleera's fingernails grew into razor sharp claws in an instant. With one swipe of her hand, the vampress had made four long and deep gashes in Beth side. The young huntress grunted in pain and could already feel warm, sticky blood running across her skin. Bethany, focusing all her physical strength in her legs, managed to kick the bride off her.

The girl, ignoring the sharp pain in her side, scrambled away from the crazy red head. Beth got up to stand and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Aleera grabbed the collar of her coat before she could get very far and raised the teenager into the air. She wasted no time in grabbing Beth by her upper arms and pinned her to a tree trunk once again. The young Van Helsing struggled against the bride in an attempt to free herself. Aleera's grip became tighter, causing her nails to dig into Beth's arms. The teenager winced in pain and stopped moving, hoping to ease the dull roar of fire in her arms. Aleera just smirked.

"Now that's better." The bride hissed. "I must admit you were harder to get a hold of this time around, child. You don't have your mother here to protect you this time. She wasn't even the one who was supposed to die that night twelve years ago. She was very pretty and my master had taken a liking to her. He wanted to make her one of us. There were only two problems however; your father and you. Getting rid of your father was easy. That was all my doing. All it took was a potion and a few good whacks to the head. Of course, I thought he was dead, but he managed to escape that fate. Then, all that was left was to get rid of you. It should have been easy, of course; a full grown vampire against a four year old child. But your mother wouldn't have that, naturally. Her interference lead to her death. Somehow, you still managed to escape me. This time, however, the end result shall be quite different."

Beth closed her eyes as anger boiled up inside her. She had taken enough and she couldn't stand it anymore. It was time Aleera got what was coming to her. The girl snapped her eyes open and focused them on the bride. Aleera was suddenly flung backward, but landed softly on her feet.

"Is that the best you've got?" Aleera hissed as she flew at Bethany. The young huntress reached into her coat and pulled out a silver stake, but was careful to make sure that Aleera didn't see it. Aleera tackled Beth to the ground and hissed at her face. The red head then looked down to see the stake lodged in her heart and that it was in so deep that it was sticking out of her back.

"Not exactly." Beth answered.

Aleera reeled back screaming and clawing at her chest. The vampire slowly disintegrated into dust and her screams faded away into nothing. Bethany breathed a sigh of relief as she pushed herself up and then leaned against a tree. She was exhausted and, not to mention, bleeding. She'd survive, but right now she had to get back to Mori. The girl took off toward where Mori probably was, picking up her silver stake along the way. As an after thought, Beth pulled out a bottle of holy water and sprinkled it over Aleera's ashes, which burst into flame when they came in contact with the water.

"And don't come back." Beth whispered and then went on her way.

When Bethany got close to where her friend most likely was, she slowed down to a walk. Her side was screaming in pain, but she blocked it out of her mind. She had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't done yet.

"Mori?" Beth asked loudly. "Are you here?"

Suddenly, Beth was almost hit with a spark of black lightning. The girl quickly jumped out of the way to avoid getting hit. She turned to the side to see Mori. She didn't look good. She almost looked…worried.

"Bethany," Mori began with urgency to her voice. It was the closest she had ever come to showing panic. "I can't control my body."

"Please tell me you're kidding." Beth said worriedly, the prophecy immediately jumping into her mind. "You're kidding, right?"

"No." Mori answered as her hand came up to fire something.

"Shit." Bethany breathed and dived out the way only seconds before black lightning flew above her head. The girl then got up and scrambled away.

"Sorry!" Mori told her.

"Not your fault!" Beth shouted behind her. Mori followed the girl, trying the entire time to stop herself without any luck. Beth's mind was racing. This couldn't be happening! Mori couldn't be trying to kill her! Still, that didn't change the fact that the dark girl had shot at her twice and was chasing her down.

"Bethany, it's just like training." Mori told her.

"Except you can't control your own body!" Beth turned around and snapped. She then had to duck to narrowly avoid getting hit.

"Sorry." Mori told her again. Beth's fist began to glow with white light. She didn't want to hurt Mori, but she certainly wasn't going down without a fight either. Mori shot black lightning at B eth and the young Van Helsing countered it by firing her own white light. The two energies met in the middle and exploded outward, sending both girls flying back. Bethany landed on her injured side and winced in pain as it flowed around her torso. Still, the girl pushed herself up to stand. She wasn't fast enough and was hit with black lightning in the chest. Beth screamed in pain as she was flung back once again. The lightning didn't stop and the girl backed up against a tree trunk. Pain scorched through her veins as she continued to scream.

When the lightning vanished, Bethany fell on all fours, panting. The pain still racked her body and reverberated through her bones. She had absolutely no idea that Mori was that powerful. This was different from training. It almost had the same intensity as training. However, at the end of their sessions neither one of them were dead. That seemed to be the goal for whoever was controlling Mori's body; to kill Beth. The bad news was that she knew that Mori was fully capable of doing just that without even breaking a sweat.

"Bethany?" Mori asked worriedly.

"I'm alive." Beth replied quickly. She pushed herself up and saw that Mori was getting ready to fire. Beth summoned up a shield with her light only seconds before the black lightning hit it. The girl faltered for a few moments. She wasn't prepared for the incredible force of the impact. All the same, she kept her shield strong. The pain in her side had worked it's way to her head. What she hadn't noticed about herself was that she had a cut right below the left side of her hairline. Her body was tired and she knew it, but Beth refused to give in. Those words that she had kept in the back of her mind resurfaced once again.

'_Basically, if you die before I do, the world is doomed.'_

Beth's strength was failing her and so was her shield. Small pieces of black lightning began seeping through the holes and shocking Bethany. She winced in pain at these small lightning bolts. Suddenly, Beth's shield collapsed and she was enveloped in black lightning. The girl screamed in pain; terrible, hot, stinging pain. She fell to her knees and the lightning kept coming. The intense pain covered every part of her body. It seemed like there was a great weight on her chest, making it hard to breathe. Beth could feel what little strength she had left drained from her.

Finally, the lightning stopped. Bethany gasped for air, but the weight didn't let up. Using a tree to support herself, the girl pushed herself up from her knees to her feet. Her world spun around her and her vision became dark. Beth leaned against the tree and looked at Mori with half open eyes. She held her side, which was still bleeding from her encounter with Aleera.

"Mori," Beth said in barely above a whisper. Pain and despair was laced into her voice.

"I forgive you."

Beth then let go. It was an odd, yet calming sensation. She let go of everything; her worries, thoughts, emotions…everything. With a sense of calmness, Bethany's world faded into blackness.

Mori saw Beth go down and that she handed behind a few bushes, hiding her from sight. After a second of waiting, Mori didn't hear anything. What had she meant by 'I forgive you'?

"Bethany?" Mori asked worriedly and took a step forward. Mori then realized what had happened. She had done something under her own will. Whatever had been done to her was no longer in affect.

"Bethany!" Mori screamed and ran toward her. When Mori got close enough, she saw Beth's lifeless body lying on the ground. Mori instantly bent down next to her.

"Bethany! Bethany! Wake up!" Mori hissed and shook her shoulders. "Wake up! Damn it!"

Mori slapped Beth across the face, hoping it would revive her like it had done the last time. There was no response. Mori, very worried by now, pulled off her gloves and felt for a pulse. Nothing. She felt absolutely nothing. Bethany was dead. The prophecy had come true.

And the wrong person had won.


	31. In The End

**CHAPTER THIRTY ONE**

Mori sat there a moment in complete and utter shock. Bethany was dead…gone forever. It just didn't seem possible. She had almost seemed to stubborn to die. Yet there she was, lying on the ground. What was even worse was the knowledge that Mori was the one who had killed her. The dark girl grew silent, eerily silent. She didn't speak, move or even breathe. The only sign that showed that she was alive was a single tear running down her cheek. Upon feeling it, Mori calmly reached up and brushed it away. It was all her fault. Why? Why did all her friendships end up ending this way? Hasn't she suffered enough?

Mori removed her cloak and laid it over Bethany's body. She always told herself that she'd never form friendships or get too close to anyone. It was dangerous and it always ended in pain. She made that promise to herself every time. This time, she was going to keep it. The dark girl stood up and crossed herself.

"Rest in peace, Bethany." She said, her voice quiet and almost devoid of all emotion to hold in all the sorrow and pain she now felt. Her voice continued in a whisper.

"And God forgive me."

The dark girl didn't move when she felt the wind pick up or when she heard the flapping of great wings turn into the tussling of cloth. She just stood as still as a stone statue that has never changed even though the world has. She saw no reason too. It didn't matter if she lived or died now. She only had one thing left to do.

"Nicely done, Morianalynn." She heard. "To be honest, I didn't think you'd kill her before my little spell wore off."

Mori didn't reply. The girl knew that Dracula had been waiting for this moment for a long time. There was no way that she was going to give him the pleasure of seeing her get emotional. In truth, she had no emotion left in her. She was numb, like her heart had been cut off from her body. Maybe she didn't know what to feel. Even in her numbness, there were thoughts, and even they didn't make sense anymore.

Dracula walked around to face his daughter. To his great surprise, her face was blank with the exception of her icy blue eyes. Even then, there was hardly any emotion shown. Her eyes were harder than stone and colder than the Artic itself, a rather scary combination.

"The prophecy has come true, you do know that? You are your mother's daughter, of course you do. Things have been set into motion that cannot be stopped, Morianalynn. So, what are you going to do?" Dracula asked.

Moments of heavy silence followed. At first, the vampire didn't think that the dark girl would reply at all, but she did.

"I'm going to kill you."

This wasn't exactly the reaction that he was looking for or expecting. Mori's voice was completely devoid of emotion, yet smooth and calm as if she was stating a well-known fact. Her icy orbs were focused, determined, hard and frozen solid. Just the sheer force of her gaze was even enough to scare _him_ to a certain degree.

"That certainly wasn't the reaction I was expecting." The Count replied.

"I bet." Mori answered still as calm as ever.

Suddenly, from the folds of her coat, Mori pulled out a revolver and began shooting. Dracula quickly dodged the bullets before he transformed and flew away. Mori swore in her mind and holstered her weapon. The girl looked back at the body of her friend, which was hidden by Mori's cloak.

"I'm so sorry, Bethany." Mori whispered and then ran away in pursuit of her father. She'd have to return for Beth's body later. Right now, she had business to take care of. There was a 234 year old score that had to be settled.

---

Dracula landed next to the ruins of an old church and looked around once he hit the ground in his human form. Mori didn't get it. Why would a _vampire_ pick a _church_ to hide in. After a brief moment of thought, she understood that it'd be the last place someone would look for a vampire. Heck, Mori had been at the Vatican for decades and no one had yet found her there.

Dracula walked in and Mori waited a few moments before sneaking toward the door. She pressed her ear against it and listened. She didn't hear anything, not voices, not footsteps, not breathing, nothing. Just endless silence. The dark girl slipped through the door, The main part of the church was in ruin, which meant that it hadn't been used in a long time. Mori guessed that it had been abandoned for about one hundred years or so by the look of it. The pews were all overturned or broken in one way or another. All the crosses and other religious objects had either been bent or deformed so they were beyond recognition. The girl really wasn't surprised. This was _her_ father after all.

Mori crouched down behind a broken pew for cover and then put her ear to the ground. She heard voices about a story or two below her. One of them was unmistakably Van Helsing's. Mori stood up as a new thought came to her. What would the others reactions be when they found out that she had killed Bethany? Well, it really didn't matter since she'd be gone soon anyway, even if she did survive this. Mori really didn't expect too. Again it really didn't matter. She had nothing left to loose.

Mori quickly shook her head to clear out those thoughts. She was getting distracted. That was the last thing she needed at the moment. She only had to focus on one thing; killing Count Dracula.

The dark girl heard footsteps and quickly looked around for a place to hide. Thinking quickly, Mori jumped up and stuck to the ceiling of the church. Crouching down so she wouldn't stick out against the ceiling, the girl saw Dracula emerge from a door toward the south corner of the room. The half vampire silently made her way toward that door, the entire time keeping one eye on her father.

Mori stepped through the archway of the open door and walked down a slanted ceiling. The girl looked above her head to see a set of stairs. At the bottom was a door, a _closed_ door. Mori gave it a gentle tap with the tip of her boot to see if it was unlocked and was surprised when the door swung open. She stepped through that archway and looked up toward the floor. The room was rather large, larger than Mori had expected it to be. It was catacombs with several tombs surrounding her. Human remnants littered the floor. Over in the corner was a small cage. Van Helsing, Carl, and Anna were inside it. Next to the cage was a metal casket. That must have been where he was keeping Jen. It was strapped shut anyway. In the cage, Van Helsing was pacing. He reminded Mori of a wild tiger that had been caught and caged, just waiting for his chance to escape. Anna was leaning against the wall, watching him pace. Next to her was Carl, who was doing the same thing as her.

Mori, deeming it rather safe to show herself, dropped to the ground.

"Hello." She told them. All three of them were looking at her oddly at her sudden appearance.

"Where did you come from?" Van Helsing asked her.

"I'd like to know that too." Carl added as she and Anna moved toward the front of the cage.

"The ceiling." Mori replied. "Is Jen in the coffin?"

"Yes." Anna answered.

"Good." Mori said with a slight nod and began to undo the thick leather straps that held it closed. Mori got them off and then shoved the lid to the side. Inside was Jen. Her eyes were closed and she was as silent as the grave.

"He gave her some kind of potion." Anna said. "She hasn't moved since."

"How long ago did he give it to her?" Mori asked the gypsy princess as she felt for Jen's pulse. She didn't have her gloves with her. She had left them with Bethany's body. There was a small and faint pulse running through the young Valerious' wrist. _Good_. Mori thought to herself.

"About three days ago." Carl replied.

"It's nothing more than a strong sleeping potion. She'll be fine." Mori stated and then moved to the cage. "I'll get your guys out of here."

"Mori, where's Beth?" Van Helsing asked her.

The dark girl's eyes moved to the lock on the door and stayed there. He just _had_ to ask.

"She's not coming." Mori replied quietly.

The half vampire heard a laugh and whirled around to see Count Dracula standing in the open doorway.

"Is that how you planned to tell them, Morianalynn?" he asked with a villainous grin as he moved toward them. "I guess it is true, in a sense. She won't be coming at all, not in this lifetime anyway."

"What have to done to Beth?!" Van Helsing demanded hotly as he flung himself against the bars of the cage.

"What have _I_ done? _I_ have done nothing to the girl." Dracula replied almost amused. "I'm flattered though that you would think I did it, Gabriel."

Mori's heart froze, but her body did everything but. Her father had reached out and flung her into a wall. The dark girl hit it and collapsed on the ground along with the pieces of stone that broke off when she hit the wall, each one making a small clacking noise when the small stones came into contact with the floor.

"You see Gabriel, your daughter is dead." Dracula told him. "Prophecies really are a funny thing, aren't they? Some of them don't come true, but the once I wanted to did."

"Shut-up." Mori told him through clenched teen as she pushed herself up.

Dracula just calmly turned to his daughter and smiled.

"Don't you think it odd, Morianalynn, that you always end up killing your friends?"

Mori closed her eyes and hit her tongue. _Peter_. She quickly shook her head out to clear her thoughts. That was behind her, in the past, and it will stay there. Dracula reached down for her throat and Mori tried to punch him. The vampire caught her fist, twisted it around, and then pushed it back. The girl let out a small noise of pain. Dracula just smirked.

"You look exactly like Trissa when your are angry at me."

Mori gritted her teeth and her eyes flashed crimson red. The dark girl's canines grew into long fangs. Mori tried to hit him with her other hand, but Dracula caught that one too. She pushed against him with all her might, but he was stronger than she was. The vampire flung the girl into another wall. Mori hit it with great force and had to hold in a scream when her body collided with the cold stone. The girl fell to the ground only moments before she heard her father speak again.

"Why are you still fighting, Morianalynn? It's pointless. Is it because Bethany would've wanted you to? Why honor her memory? You _killed_ her."

Mori bit her lip again. She caught the look Van Helsing was giving her, asking if it was true. Mori's sorrowful eyes were all he needed to see. _You killed her._ The words cut through her and hurt terribly. Mori knew it was true, but having it said aloud was different. It was like admitting she did it to herself. She had killed her best friend.

Suddenly, Mori felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Dracula had shoved a sword through her left shoulder so hard that the blade cut into the stone below her. Mori tried to pull it out with no such luck. Still, she didn't give up. She tugged at the blade, cutting her palms open and her own blood dripped down the cold metal of the sword.

"You _will_ join me, Morianalynn, willingly or not." Dracula said bending down to her. "I have methods that even angels can't protect you from."

All of the sudden, Dracula was flung back into the wall across from Mori, and hard.

"How about a ghost then?" came a very angry, tired and familiar voice.

Mori looked up toward the door and for once in her life, was completely and utterly shocked. Leaning on the door frame and holding their bleeding side was Bethany. She still had her palm raised from using her powers. Over her arm was Mori's cloak. She looked exhausted and about ready to collapse…and was as angry as ever!

"You're…" Dracula began, but stumbled over his words. No! I couldn't be! "You're supposed to be…"

"Dead?" Beth's ghost asked, her green eyes set aflame. It had to be her ghost. There was no other explanation. Bethany had no pulse. There was just no way she could be alive.

"I assure you, Count, I'm far too stubborn to die."

"Your heart stopped."

"Just because my heart gave up doesn't mean my soul did." Beth replied, venom dripping from her words.. "I'm very much alive. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Yes!" Carl said as he pulled his fist toward himself. This got him a glare from Van Helsing and Anna. Carl shrank back.

"Sorry, I'm just…happy." Carl mumbled.

"Thank you, Carl." Beth told him, a slight smile on her face.

"Since my daughter failed to kill you," Dracula began as he got up and moved toward the girl. "I'll just have to do it myself."

Mori, moving quickly, broke the blade that held her down right above it's entry point in her shoulder. She pushed herself up, the hilt of the broken sword in her hand.

"No you won't." Mori growled at him, her eyes flaring with blood red fire. Dracula rolled his eyes and turned to his daughter.

"What are you going to do about it? Run me through?"

"Sounds good to me." Beth said and shoved her dagger into his back. Dracula roared in pain. The young huntress tried to back up, but wasn't fast enough. The vampire hit her and Beth was sent flying. She hit a wall and collapsed on the ground with a pitiful moan of pain. She tried to push herself up and soon found there was a pair of hands there to help her. She looked up to see Mori.

"You _are_ real, aren't you?" the dark girl asked her.

"As real as you are." Beth answered.

"I hoped so."

Mori helped Beth to stand and let her lean on for so she wouldn't fall over. Dracula pulled the dagger out of his back and then calmly tossed it to the side. He glared at the two girls across the room. Suddenly, he was by Mori and he flung her into the door of the metal cage. The dark girl collapsed on the ground, unconscious with blood dripping down her temple. Beth fell to her knees without Mori to support her. She barely managed to push herself up only to have Dracula twist her arm behind her back again. Beth gritted her teeth and struggled against him, but his grip was too strong. The girl jabbed her free elbow into his side. Instead of letting her go, the vampire flung her into the stone wall.

The young huntress screamed in pain when she fell to the floor. She gasped for much needed air and waited for the throbbing pain all over her body to dim before she even attempted to move. She pushed herself up. The girl slowly began gathering up her energy (what little she had left) for her powers. Dracula grabbed her by the neck and the teenager made a small choking noise.

"You are a stubborn child, you know that?" Dracula said. Beth, put a foot in his gut and pushed off. The vampire let go and she fell on the ground. Her chest was heaving up and down and every breath seemed to weaken her. Beth scrambled back to put space between her and the vampire. Still, he advanced on her slowly.

Van Helsing bent down next to Mori and reached through the cage. He grabbed her shoulder and began shaking Mori in an attempt to wake her. Beth was in trouble and right now, Mori was her only hope.

"Mori, get up." He told the girl. "Beth needs you! _Get_ _up_!"

Beth's back hit the wall, but Dracula kept coming. Summoning up the last of her strength, the girl shot a steady stream of white light at the vampire. He roared in pain, but he kept moving toward her. It was slow since she kept pounding him with light, but the vampire would still get to her. Then she would be defenseless and she was done for.

"Mori! Get up!" Van Helsing roared as he slapped Mori angrily across the face. The girl stirred slightly and the monster hunter took advantage of it.

"Mori, if you get up now and save Beth, I promise not to blame you for anything ever again."

"Bethany." Mori moaned quietly. Her icy blue eyes slowly opened. She then sat up with a start, her memories flooding back to her. "Bethany!"

Mori saw the battle going on between Beth and Dracula as she stood up. Beth was almost out of energy and Dracula was almost to her.

"He's going to kill her!" Carl squeaked.

"Over my dead body." Mori hissed as she clenched her fists and her eyes changed to blood red once again. Fangs spouted from between her lips and her hands began to spark with black lightning. Dracula had taken everything from her, her mother, her family, her friends…her entire life. There was no way in Hell she was going to let him take Bethany from her again. Beth had already died for her once. It wasn't going to happen again so long as Mori was there to stop it.

Mori flung out her palm and black lightning flew out toward the vampire. It was powerful, fueled by Mori's years of rage and all the life force the girl could manage to spare. The lightning mixed with Beth's own powers, wrapped around the white beam like barbed wire. The collective force hit Dracula and hit him hard. He roared in pain and attempted to transform, but the energy the girls were pouring on him wouldn't allow it. The two forces began tearing Count Dracula apart. His form kept fading till it no longer existed and his screaming had died away into nothing.

Beth stopped shooting only moments before Mori did. On the floor, in the place where the Count had been, was nothing but a pile of dust. Bethany sighed as a large smile spread over her features. She looked at her father and then at Mori.

"It's over."

Mori smiled softly.

"Yes Bethany, I believe it is."


	32. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

Mori ended up breaking the lock to get everyone out. Van Helsing instantly was at his daughter's side.

"Bethany? Beth?" he asked as he bent down to her. He was worried about her. In all his years of assignments, he had never been as scared as he had been tonight. His little girl could've died and he couldn't have done anything to protect her.

"I'll be fine dad." Beth told him.

Van Helsing brushed her hair out of her face and then hugged her tightly. The young huntress hugged him back. The man kissed hid daughter's forehead, thankful that God was kind enough to let him keep her.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." He told her.

"I don't plan on it, dad." Beth replied laughing slightly.

Van Helsing scooped the girl up in his arms and held her close to his chest as if someone was going to take her away. Beth leaned her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She was only going to rest her eyes for a moment, but she fell asleep.

---

Bethany woke up in her bed at Valerious Manor. Sitting in the chair next to her was Mori. She had her cloak back on and looked like she had recovered from their last adventure. She had her legs crossed and was staring out the window. Beth pushed herself up so her back rested against the head board along with the many pillows on her bed. Mori saw her move and rested her eyes on Beth, a small smile dancing around in the frozen ice.

"Morning Sunshine."

Beth smiled at her and laughed slightly. Typical Mori.

"Morning Mori."

"You're a heavy sleeper, you know that? You've been out for about two days." Mori told her.

"I'm not really surprised." Beth replied with a nod. "I'm usually out for a while after I use my powers."

Mori nodded and then looked back out the window. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, giving the sky a warm, pink glow.

"Bethany, what do I do with my life now?"

"What?" Beth asked her, a little confused by the question Mori was asking her.

"My whole life up until now has been about killing Dracula. Now that he's dead, I don't really know what to do." Mori explained and then turned back to Beth. "It's an odd feeling, actually."

"Well, you could stay at the Order." Beth suggested hopefully.

"Maybe, maybe not." Mori answered. "We'll just have to see, my dear Bethany. We'll just have to see."

Beth was able to get out of bed the next day and walk around. Van Helsing still kept a close eye on her. Jen and Anna were both excited and sad at the same time about this. They were glad that Bethany was alright, but it meant that she, Van Helsing and Carl could go back to Rome. In fact, the three of them were preparing to do just that. Jen herself was going to stay behind in Transylvania with Anna to help her control their lands. No one was really sure what Mori was going to do. Come to think of it, no one had seen Mori all day.

Beth went by her room to see if she was alright. To the girl's surprise, she found the door had been left open, but just a crack. The young huntress opened the door wider slowly before she spoke.

"Mori?"

The girl gasped when she saw that the room was empty. All of Mori's things were missing from the room. On her desk, Beth found a note. It was in Mori's handwriting. She read it and as she did so, her eyes began to water. The instant she was finished, Bethany ran from the room crying. Her feet carried her to the library. Everyone looked up when the young huntress burst into the room with tears running down her face.

"Dad!" Beth said as she ran into his arms sobbing. "Mori…she…"

Van Helsing read the note that his daughter had handed him. He then looked up at the others, his own eyes sad.

"She's gone." He finished for the sobbing girl. "Mori's left us."

Beth just nodded as she continued to cry uncontrollably. Van Helsing let the note fall to the floor, where it stayed unmoving for all to see. No one moved. They couldn't believe it, but there it was in black and white.

_To my dearest companions,_

_If you are reading this, then it means that I am long gone. Even with my father finally dead, I still have plenty of other powerful enemies. I have brought you nothing but pain, worry and problems. Therefore, it's better for all of us if I leave you all to your lives. Also, something has been brought to my attention that I don't with to involve you in, for you have all sacrificed enough for me. I wish you all nothing but the best and please be careful. I am truly sorry that it had to end this way, but it's for the best._

_Sincerely,_

_Mori A. Trice_


End file.
